So, what kind of moss is this, how can I encourage it to multiply, and maybe incorporate it into other areas of the yard! I just moved here, the rest of the yard is a mess and needs attention badly, its mostly clay, poorly drained, full of dandelions and other weeds, and there are potholes on the far end where people used to park. I donÂt know anything about moss, but evidentially it has flourished under years of neglect. It must have been here for years because I have practically a carpet of it across a huge area in the back corner of my yard, itÂs roughly thirty feet long. I didn't even see it until I mowed for the first time, but it sure is nice and squishy to walk on! My dog has been running around on it, and it doesn't seem affected by that at all. ItÂs growing on the ground, on concrete, and on old railroad ties. In the shady areas, it looks denser. Some weeds and grass are poking through it where it is sparse. Does it not like sun? Some of has tiny, reddish, flag-shaped things that are sticking out of it are those like seeds? Could I actually collect those and plant it?

I'd started to build up the center with topsoil and compost to keep the water out toward the edges, and was planning to add grass seed to fill it out a little, and add some type of water garden later this summer. Then I found the moss, and now I'm wondering if I should ditch the grass idea, encourage this moss to grow. Will people think IÂm nuts if I start pulling the grass to give the moss more space? Could I try to transplant some into other areas of the yard? It appears to be creeping toward a big problem area between my house and an adjacent steel building anyway; a spot which gets nearly full shade, and stays wet much of the time. It's a ditch-like depression that is supposedly a path for rain water to travel to the street, but it drains poorly, and has washed out a bunch of soil from underneath the concrete slab that is my porch. I was thinking about digging a better "trench" so that water could actually get to the street on this route but would that make it to dry for the moss to survive?

In trying to prevent further rainwater erosion, IÂve just built the soil back up next to the concrete porch slab on both sides of this "ditch" near the house, and have been wondering what to put there to cover the ground. I contemplated a pond liner, and a bunch of rocks! IÂve thought about a short retaining wall, but there is limited space between the two buildings maybe 7 feet. There was supposedly grass there once, but it died and eventually washed out; with no sunlight and all that wetness... it may be a waste of time to try to re-establish grass. But, wouldnÂt this moss be cool! Does it work well for controlling erosion? Would it take forever for it to fill in? What type of substrate would it need? Could I try to attach this moss to rocks if I kept the area moist? If I try introducing moss, what could I put there in the meantime while IÂm waiting for it to establish itself? Right now, itÂs a barren mud factory when it rains, so I have to do something.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Leslie