Hello cfuehrer, I am not Rick. He has not been on this forum for awhile. I have even emailed him just this past week to see if he would respond but not yet. He is the most knowledgeable person on mosses that I have ran across. I do know some and have and am growing several species of mosses and have some stuff up on my website and will be adding more journals (perhaps as early as later this week??). What I recommend is if you have a digital camera is to post up some images at Photobucket (it is free) to share. I am glad you are trying to grow but do not be disappointed if you have problems at first. Growing mosses that grow in your area is a good start but not necessarily an easy task as they may be very specific as to habitat (cultural) requirements. I have put a link up to my website journals on mosses below. Check it out. Also I recommend you copy to your notepad the list of links below and save it on your machine. There is alot of info in those links. But growing is often a matter of learning how to adapt the conditions you have so that the mosses you can get will grow well for you. Anyhow you now have alot of material to check out. Do let me know if you have any questions. My email link is on my website. Here are ALL THE LINKS I currently have on mosses: >MOSSES & LIVERWORTS >>IMAGES https://www.csun.edu/~hcbio028/ http://www.ualberta.ca/~mjs14/bryopics/index.htm http://www.milueth.de/Moose/ http://www.kuleuven-kortrijk.be/facult/wet/biologie/pb/kulakbiocampus/images/buiten-kulak/mossen/Atrichum%20undulatum%20-%20Groot%20rimpelmos/index.htm http://dereila.ca/woods/page1.html http://www.hainaultforest.co.uk/4Moss%20Photographs.htm http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/articles/4/ http://www.ontariowildflower.com/moss.htm#top http://bryophytes.plant.siu.edu/mossimage.html http://www2.una.edu/pdavis/mosses_to_know_in_the_field.htm http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~fredr/Bryos.htm http://home.clara.net/adhale/bryos/phframe.htm http://www.na.fs.fed.us/stewardship/pubs/mosses_liverworts/mosses_liverworts.htm >>BOTANICAL INFORMATION http://www.musci.com/CAbryodatalinks.html http://159.189.176.5/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=703&&PageID=2130&mode=2&in_hi_userid=2&cached=true http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/tropicos/most/welcome.shtml http://biology.usgs.gov/s+t/noframe/j091.htm http://herbarium.usu.edu/holdings_plants.htm >>GENERAL INFORMATION http://sanfranciscobay.sierraclub.org/yodeler/html/2006/11/feature7.htm http://www.rook.org/earl/bwca/nature/moss/index.html http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~fieldbot/ormoss.html http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/sinu/mal_moss/mal_moss_intro.html http://www.gardeningvoice.com/forum/showthread.php?t=201 http://www.friendsofsaguaro.org/mosses.html http://www.arableplants.fieldguide.co.uk/?P=moss_liver_horn&SHC=1&PSD=1 http://www.tulane.edu/~bfleury/diversity/labguide/mossfern.html http://www.perspective.com/nature/plantae/bryophytes.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchantiophyta http://heritage.nv.gov/mosses/florstms.htm >>SEARCH ENGINES MOSSES http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=acer%20macrophyllum%20moss&btnG=Google+Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ws http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/tropicos/most/welcome.shtml http://directory.google.com/Top/Science/Biology/Flora_and_Fauna/Plantae/Bryophyta/ http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=mosses&fr=ush-groups http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/search?invocationType=topsearchbox.search&query=mosses+of+arizona >>SCIENTIFIC INFO http://www.cnps.org/programs/Rare_Plant/inventory/bryophytes.htm http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/bryophytes/index.html http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/plants/bryophyta/bryophyta.html http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/images/130/Bryophytes/ http://bryophytes.plant.siu.edu/ http://www.geocities.com/zvezuk/Ch1/cryra.html http://www.botany.ubc.ca/bryophyte/mosses.html http://www.science.siu.edu/landplants/Bryophyta/bryophyta.html http://www.goshen.edu/bio/Musci/Alpha3.html http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/tropicos/most/welcome.shtml http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/bfna/bfnamenu.htm http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/tropicos/most/Glossary/glosefr.html http://www.cnps.org/publications/fremontia/Fremontia_Vol31-No3.pdf http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/bryolab/index.php >>GROWING MOSSES http://www.squidoo.com/mossfarming http://www.gnps.org/Massie.htm http://members.tripod.com/~NPK1/moss7.html http://bryophytes.science.oregonstate.edu/mosses.htm http://www.missico.com/personal/tidbits/plants/how_to_grow_moss.htm http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/crypto/msg1122595913396.html?34 http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=24568 Here is a link that might be useful: My moss journals

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

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.

One question that could be included in the FAQ is How do I preserve dried and pressed flowers so they last longer? A helpful answer could explain that keeping flowers away from direct sunlight, humidity, and excessive handling helps maintain their color and shape over time. Many people also store delicate pieces in shadow boxes, glass frames, or decorative arrangements to protect them from dust. It may also be useful to share examples of how dried flowers are used in home décor, greeting cards, and handmade projects. DriedFlowers&Decor often showcase creative arrangement ideas, which can inspire beginners without making the process feel overwhelming. Including practical tips for storage, preservation, and simple display methods would make this FAQ especially useful for newcomers to the forum.