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Northern Gardening

sagina subulata (Irish Moss) invasive?

19 years ago

I am wondering if planting Irish Moss or Scotch Moss (sagina subulata aurea) is likely to be a problem in terms of it spreading to areas in which it is unwanted.

I have a strip of soil bordered on one side by concrete and the other side by a wooden fence next to the neighbours yard. Will it creep under the fence and be difficult to control? My yard is located in central Saskatchewan.

thanks,

kris

Featured Answer

glen3a

19 years ago

Not sure if it will creep under the fence or not, but I can tell you that I tried it a few years ago. In our zone, I didn't find it invasive at all. I planted a few very small clumps of it that I started from seed. some of the clumps winter killed, some survived. I can't remember if they eventually died out, or just got dug out when I redesigned the corner that they were planted in. I believe some sources say it's hardy to zone 4, so it may be marginally hardy, depending on factors like snowcover, etc.

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Comments (6)

ingami
19 years ago
You know- as Glen says, I had some too and had about the same experience. A couple of places it just died out, and there are a couple of small spots where I think it might still be handing around. I find it, obviously, not invasive- I noticed early, early this spring it was up and green, I think some of it was killed later when the very cold weather returned for awhile, as I know it wasn't mulched for the winter. But I do like it and would get it again-- but this time, I wouldn't treat it so shabbily!
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I believe you would have better luck starting out with plants instead of seeds for sagina subulata. The seeds germinate pretty easy and the weather is getting warmer so if you can keep them moist it might be easier to plant the seeds in place though they are very small. I would not cover the seeds but to keep them from blowing or washing away you will have sand on hand so maybe a light covering of sand will help. Sagina subulata needs a moisture retentive, gritty, well-drained soil so maybe mix some compost or plenty of humus in with the sand you already have. Most everything you read will state it grows well in full sun but it is my experience that it does better with morning sun and light or dappled shade the rest of the day. I had this planted around a pool in Texas and the chlorine killed it. I had a lot of rowdy teens playing in the pool quite often though, had it just been me and my DH maybe it would have survived. Sorry to be so wordy! Cindi
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i failed with it at the old house.. that had SUPERB soil ... i would NEVER hesitate to try one or two.. obviously i did numerous time ... all i am saying.. is you might not want to invest $100 on a couple flats to do your whole patio w/o testing first ... IF budget is an issue ... i am really taxing the memory here.. but IF there is consistent snow cover ... it will winter over ... but the failure comes in those mild winters w/o snow cover.. and being rather shallow rooted.. they probably desiccate.. because up here in the great white north .. NEVER forget.. that it is basically a desert out there.. since what moisture there is.. is locked up in snow/ice .... yet w/o snow cover.. soil can freeze and thaw.. and dry [freeze-dried by winter winds].. and a plant like this.. will most likely not tolerate it... ken
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abgardeneer
19 years ago
You'll be lucky to keep it alive, unless you water daily, and then even luckier to winter it... no, not invasive, in other words.
zone29
19 years ago
I have a small lawn of sagina subulata, the light green scotch moss (same thing different colour) It grows into a 10-12 inch diameter round, and looks wonderful. Iam in Montreal which is Z5, so it over winters well. I usually pile some leaves over it. Its beautiful to look at and soft to walk on, and isn't invasive. i have had it for four years now.
davidko
17 years ago
Hi Kris,

A lot depends on you zone. Here, in Rochester, NY we put in 2 small plants and in 3 years it is all over the back yard filling in the walkway cracks (rah!).

Of course you are actually planting Scottish Moss (s s a), which is greatly different from Irish Moss: "Chondrus crispus, Irish Moss, Pearl Moss, or Carragheen is a red alga or seaweed plant of the Gigartinaceae/Rhodophyta order." Many people think they are the same and that the shade of green determins which is which. Not ture, Irish would be that green shade that looks red. Do a search on the Latin name above, there are some great pictures.

David
apasionada
8 years ago
In my experience the dark "irish moss" and light green "scotch moss" are not the same in behavior, water needs and spreading. Though neither is invasive by stolen, I find scotch moss has a higher water requirement, and does not freely self seed. We have been pulling irish moss seedlings out of our beds for years.

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