How to Grow Moss

Moss is a flowerless, spore-producing plant that grows in carpet-like patches on the ground, roofs, rocks, and other surfaces. Dry curbsides abandoned lots, parking strips, and rock gardens are all situations where portulaca thrives. Although they do well in neglected soil, the moss rose livens up hanging baskets, banks, and garden edgings.

Originally from South America, the Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora) is a cousin to the common weed, purslane. Which explains why the moss rose is completely at home in poor-soil areas where other beautiful blooming plants would otherwise perish.

Gardeners often consider moss in their lawns as weeds. Rather than scorn their presence, embrace it. Mosses add interest and dimension to a garden and provide texture. Mosses are non-vascular plants, that are often featured in Japanese-style gardens.

Typically green, moss is often specifically cultivated by gardeners as a decorative plant that drapes over landscaping designs, such as rock gardens, fences, and statues. Others find it an attractive, low maintenance alternative to a grass lawn.

Portulaca has narrow, fleshy leaves that are up to an inch long. Low-growing and mat-forming, they act as a bright-green succulent background for the pure colors of their blooms.

Rather than roots and stems, mosses depend upon a moist, shady environment for moisture. Mosses are found throughout the world, with over 14,000 known species.

The brilliant red, yellow, peach, white, orange, and rose flowers bring the areas they’re planted into life. Moss roses are available in single or double-flowered varieties.

These annuals are easy keepers and don’t need much water once established although they need an even amount, unlike other succulent species of cacti. They make ideal plants for gardens or yards in water-starved areas that benefit from drought-tolerant plants.

Finding Moss in the Wild

Depending on where you live, moss might actually be hard to find. Moss often grows in shaded areas or on compacted ground or rocks that remain moist. That description aside, here’s a few ideas of places to look.

• Along a creek bed. Walk up a creek that has cut through a hillside. The higher the shoreline’s walls, the better chance you will find moss.
• On mostly shaded portions of roofs. It’s hard to believe, but moss can grow on a roof, particularly on slopes facing north that don’t get much sun.
• On fallen logs. A walk through a nearby forest is sure to turn up a fallen tree or two. Circle around the tree to find the most shaded area. Moss thrives on moist and decomposing wood.
• On old buildings. Moss doesn’t care if an old building is abandoned or just not kept up. It just needs some moisture to survive.
• In your own lawn. Look under bushes and in shadowed areas of your lawn.
• In the exact opposite places of all the above. Yep, although moss prefers moist, shaded areas, it can struggle along for years in dry, sunny locations. If you find some move it to a more ideal placement and watch it go.

Where Can You Grow Moss?

Moss is a wonderful plant for the tops of rocks or other locations around the pond that have poor or little soil. It needs moisture, but it gets nutrients from the air. This makes it a perfect choice for rock gardens or the damp sides of water features.

A pond in a wet climate can become quite damp around the edges, especially if it is surrounded by rocks. Instead of growing slick algae by chance, grow moss by choice, integrating this water-lover into the garden design. While mosses will colonize a rocky surface, moss is a slow-growing plant, so consider buying some to get started.

How Much Shade do Moss Plants Need?

While mosses can be tough, they prefer medium to deep shade for optimum growth. A pond that is in a shady part of the garden beside trees or shrubs is a good place to plant moss. Watch the garden at different parts of the day to determine what areas get good shade. Consider how sunny the area might be at different points in the year.

Strangely enough, moss is also an ideal plant for summer drought conditions around the pond. When moss becomes dry, it simply goes dormant. At the first rain or heavy dew, it perks up again. Yes, a prolonged drought or a sunny location is not good for moss, but a short dry spell followed by rain is perfectly tolerable for moss. Mosses should be kept moist for several weeks after transplanting.

How to Grow Moss

Moss is a simple plant that spreads by spores. These spores are tiny, so propagating moss is different from collecting seeds to save. Keen to spread moss around the edges of the pond? The best time of year to plant moss is in the spring or fall when the moss will receive regular water.

Once you’ve found some moss, make sure it’s okay with the property owner to remove it. Once you’ve got his approval, take a simple paint scraper or putty knife and slide it under the moss. Since moss has rudimentary roots at best, it’s easy to extract.

It’s best to extract moss that feels moist and heavy. Some will actually peel up in patches that contain a small amount of dirt or topsoil. (If you make the moss puree below, you will have to remove this. Until then, it’s vital to keep it moist.)

The most trouble you’ll have is if it has lodged itself in a non-flat surface.

Moss carpets are actually several smaller plants, so if you break it up, you’ll still have a plant that can be moved. Still, keeping it together in patches will help you in the next step.

Now that you have all this beautiful moss, you need to destroy it — kind of. This process simply prepares it for its new home.

1. Put your moss in a blender. (Yes, a kitchen blender)
2. Add a liquid, ideally buttermilk or yogurt, in 4 parts liquid to 1 part moss ratio.
3. Blend thoroughly. This pulverizes the moss, but its spores will survive.
4. Apply to your surface (see below).

You can apply your moss puree to a wall, piece of pottery, or rock.

To apply it directly to the ground, you pour out the moss puree and spread it around. You can also try transplanting your un-pureed moss patch, though your results will vary.

For all surfaces, select a location that generally avoids the afternoon sun. Sure, moss might establish itself there, but you have little chance of getting it to “stick”.

Once you have your moss in place, regular watering is a must. The area should be kept damp for at least the first three weeks after your transplant operation.

In five weeks, the moss should begin to grow. Sometimes new mosses look like algae, so wait a while to see if they are actually baby moss.

How to Grow Moss on a Hard Surface

For hard surfaces, such as a rock or wall, apply your moss puree with a brush and then place your moss on top. Keep it wet, and wait for your moss to appear.

Moss is a subtle, beautiful plant to adorn water features and the edges of the pond. A combination of moss and ferns growing on the edges of a water garden softens the look of the pond. Make sure that the moss thrives by choosing a shady, moist location for it to grow.

How to Grow Moss to the Ground

For ground application, you’ll need to do a little prep work. First off, get the soil packed firmly. This helps keep out weeds and other plants while providing optimal conditions for your moss. Next, check your soil’s pH value. Moss prefers a pH between 5.0 and 5.5. A testing kit will determine this, and then a liquid sulfur powder mix should be applied at the appropriate concentration.

Once that’s all set, thoroughly soak the area and apply your moss puree or firmly press your moss patch into place. If you’re starting with a small batch of moss, leave a foot or so ring of soil around it, which you should keep weeded and moist. This will give your moss room to grow.

Maintaining Your Moss Garden

Periodically water the moss garden. Watering is especially critical in the first few weeks following planting. Afterward, only a light misting may be necessary during dry spells. Until the moss has become established, limit traffic to the planting area to watering and weeding.

While moss can survive a dry period, it’s best to keep it in its ideal state: Moist and shaded. Additionally, you’ll want to keep it free of debris that can kill it. Foot traffic on moss should be kept to a minimum, and when it does, try going barefoot or on smooth, flat treads, which limit tearing.

How to Get Rid of Undesirable Moss

Many gardeners think of the dangling gray tendrils of Spanish moss when discussing moss, but botanists classify Spanish moss in a separate category of plants.

This Moss is undesirable because it creates unfavorable conditions for growing other plants.

Moss abhors alkaline soil and dry conditions. Make your yard and garden unattractive to moss by adding lime or ashes to sweeten the soil. You can add lime in the form of ground limestone rock or dolomitic lime, which also adds magnesium to the soil. Wear gloves and eye protection when working with lime, as it can burn eyes and skin.

Increase the drainage of your soil to reduce the moist conditions that moss favors. Avoid walking on your lawn or soil when it’s wet to prevent compaction. Work ample amounts of compost into the garden to improve drainage. Consider replacing weak turf with groundcover if moss is winning the battle in your lawn.

In the right conditions, moss can grow on all kinds of inanimate objects, including patio furniture, garden ornaments, and roofs. What adds character to one garden is a sign of decay in another. Scrub moss with a stiff brush, and rent or borrow a power sprayer to remove the remnants.

Safer Brand makes a moss elimination spray as an alternative to the conventional copper sulfate products. The active ingredient comes from biodegradable fatty acids. You can use Safer Brand Moss and Algae Killer on lawns, trees, and garden structures.

Once established, mosses add color and aesthetic appeal to any garden, with the bonus of low maintenance. Mosses will thrive with a proper location with the ideal conditions.