Moss FAQS: Propagation
deep_woods
17 years ago
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sherryazure
17 years agolast modified: 9 years agomilkweed2
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Moss FAQs: Water
Comments (0)Moss has leaves that may be only one cell thick and moss plants have no roots, so water hydration for moss is primarily through itsleaves. The primitive anchoring rhizoids of mosses will wick some moisture and then transfer it from cell to cell but moss has no vascular tissues or roots thus moss has no water storage capabilities either. Almost all moss species require rainwater, or if not available then distilled water. Tap water is usually "hard", meaning it leaves a scum if evaporated, is not acceptable for moss. If you have a water softener your water might be "soft" but it will contain too much salt or sodium ions. George Schenk in his book Moss Gardening mentions almost nothing about this but his residences around the globe were all in places that receive tremendous amounts of rain. Michael Fletcher of Britain in his book, the Moss GrowerÂs Handbook, however is very explicit in this water requirement that it be rainwater or distilled if rainwater is unavailable. (MichaelÂs book is based on fifty years of growing hundreds of different moss species and liverworts). I consider surface waters, such as ponds, rivers and lakes, as also probably acceptable. There are some mosses that grow on limestone and thus may tolerate "hard" tap water but they are the exception rather than the rule. You may not want to water your moss and that is fine but if you do water it must be rainwater or distilled or as mentioned above. Since moss has no roots or vascular tissue, moss grows only up to four inches max with most species below one or half an inch. Moss small stature means moss has minimal watering requirements. Water your moss with a sprayer, not a watering can. Water applied with a sprayer, squeeze or pump, every three to four days can keep five square feet of moss looking great for a month during the hot summer with no other water source and use less than a gallon of water. Again, you do not have to water moss outdoors. Only if you are transplanting moss outdoors in the Spring or Summer or if you are growing moss in containers indoors. Mist or spray and then come back a few minutes later and mist again. Try to apply enough to wet the top half inch of soil as well. Try collecting rainwater and store in gallon jugs. During periods of time that moss will be moist and growing you can fertilize by applying acid loving plants fertilizer at ¼ the strength mentioned for most plants and only every two to four weeks. I have used miracle gro acid fertilizer and peters acid fertilizer. DO NOT USE ANY REGULAR FERTILIZER which usually contains calcium and or zinc. I was watering a hanging basket of coleus and million bells with a mix of rainwater and regular miracle gro fertilizer. Under the basket but not directly underneath I had some green sidewalk moss, B. caespiticium, in a large clay saucer. Some of the regular miracle gro solution dripped from above onto half the moss in the saucer below. Within five days all the moss was dead that had been moistened by regular miracle gro. Each and every little tiny moss plant! Using water absorbing crystals, such as hortasorb, in small plantings was recommended by Schenk and I certainly agree. More on water crystals in Moss FAQs: Soil. Rick...See MoreMoss FAQs: How to find or buy moss
Comments (3)From my experience, I would not recommend buying moss online. They tend to ship it sheered off above the soil, so it has to regrow its little grabbers (it has no true roots) and the birds, especially the cat birds, like to flip it over to look for bugs and worms. Even with netting stapled to the ground, the amount that survived was minimal. Transplanting from around the property, on the other hand, was close to 100% successful. Just slice out a rectangle with a little steak knife the size of your spatula and then slide the spatula under the moss so as to leave about 3/8 to 1/2 inch of soil. Remove any loose debris from your destination and build it up with clay soil if it's not high enough, pressing it in lightly, then simply place the moss and press it in with your foot. Removing only part of the moss from the source location and filling in the gaps with clay soil will encourage regrowth, and I have found that removing any grass growing in and around it with your fingers, especially on a damp day, will allow the moss to thrive. I now have what you might describe as a small moss "farm" in a couple of locations. I have so far filled up the spaces between square pavers, used as a walkway, and adjacent areas. I have also found that placing the moss between the pavers encourages the moss to grow on the pavers. Basically, the more moss you have, the more you will have. I have also tried placing small strips of moss in the spaces in a crude brick rosette I made from bricks I salvaged from the base of an old handrail. Again, just build up the spaces with clay soil and then press in small strips and clumps with your fingers. I appear to have at least two species, one light green and one dark green, which produces an interesting mottled pattern....See MoreCreeping Thyme/ Whitleys Speedwell /Scotch/Irish Moss Propagation
Comments (5)Last weekend I started a flat of Thyme. It is very easy to divide. A couple of weeks earlier I partly buried all of the longer shoots. In 2 weeks lots of new roots have started in the areas I covered. I sniped off the new growth, new roots and al and planted a few ends per cell in the flat. This weekend it's looking like its starting to take hold and grow well. When I did this the first two days the Thyme looked very wilted but now its standing up tall ready to rock and roll. I'd guess that regular misting and a greenhouse dome would have helped it get going faster. Other then watering it every few mornings I just ignored it. -Brian...See MoreFAQ for Moss forum
Comments (4)Me too! I just started gathering moss and growing it (hopefully) both indoors and out. Thanks for the info Rick, it's been very useful. It would be great if this became its own forum....See Moremilkweed2
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agomilkweed2
15 years agolast modified: 9 years agoChrystal Jumonville
9 years agoMindy Kennedy
9 years ago
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