Wanted: help with moss in a rock garden

I need all the information I can get on growing moss. I have tons of it growing on the ground in my back yard and have been transplanting it to a rock garden. What do I need to do to keep it alive and looking good. I would also like to see it spread. Any tricks of the trade I should know about?

Since you already have a supply of moss, here's a recipe and instructions for moss "propagation". http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=152&Itemid=98

Thanks for the link. But how do I keep the moss maintained? That's assuming it grows at all.

In general, once moss is established, it requires very little maintenance. The keys to establishing mosses are :

1) location, location, location -- shade is best, but dappled sun is acceptable for some mosses
2) soil ph -- acidic soils are strongly preferred
3) moisture -- new moss thoroughly enjoys a good MISTING

how often should i mist? it is very hot right now with high humidity

The idea is to keep it "moist" for 3-4 weeks -- to much water can wash away spores, allow it to dry out and it will likely die. "How often" is really dependent on your local weather and the location you planted it.

Hm, I wonder if too much water is what happened to me...we always have a lot of pretty moss in our shady, acidic yard but this year it looked lousy, which surprised me after the heavy rains we had in the spring and early summer.

My mother sent me this site. My last hyperlink didn't work so youi'll probably have to type it in, but here it is www.mossacres.com. They sell moss but there is also some info abt how to care for it.

Good luck!
Sherry

re: mossacres.com

oh man... now I have moss lust.

Oh baberbie,
How lucky you are, we too have lots of moss that grows naturally on our property. Here's what I know:

Moss like acidic soil (ph less than 7) & high humidity!

Moss doesn't like to be littered with debris, so keep it clean of debris. I just walk the path with a back pack leaf blower and it's done in 15-20 minutes. I feel this also helps spread the spores!

If I want to start a new path/area, I would just blow it clean down to dirt, keep it clean within some months you will notice it starting to get a green hue. For me, a new area takes about two+ years to fill in. I do nothing to it, nature does it's thing, because I have the right conditions for it to happen (sounds like you do too). If you have a path that has wood chips or mulch on it, blow it off the area down to the hard compacted soil, moss doesn't grow where mulch is.

A couple of years ago I transplanted some moss. I took a shovel with a flat end. I held the shovel perpendicular to the ground and press the shovel into the moss to cut it into the same shape and size of my shovel blade. I then shoveled the piece of 'moss sod' making sure I took dirt with it. This makes it easy to work with and also to match pieces together. After you transplant it I would step all over it to pack it down. If the ground is very dry I maybe would water it. (although I have never watered my moss)

I believe (not 100% sure) moss grows during the colder months. That is why it looks so green and lush. During the summer months the moss is not quite so green, sometimes areas may have a little brown hue to it. I believe it is just dormant.

Folks are always amazed at the moss and all we do it keep it clean & weeded.

I hope this helps & is the kind of information you are looking for.

Here's a picture of one of our paths~

absolutely beautiful!

Shady,

Great advice and an absolutely Gorgeous path.

Kelly

Shelflife & GardemGeek,
Thank you, I'd love to take credit, but nature did most of it. The hardest part is keeping it weeded.

I bet keeping it looking it's best, without weeds Is the hardest part. You do a great job of it from the pic.

baberbie,
I bet your rock garden is beautiful with moss it, show us some pictures!

We have lots of moss growing here and yes, our soil is acidic, very acidic. We also live in an area of bountiful rainfall (2nd highest in the lower 48 states). Sometimes it rains for a solid week, every day. Our moss thrives on it. We have it growing on the ground and on rocks. When we widened our driveway about 2 weeks, in about a month or more, the bare bank is growing moss all over it, even though we are trying to get groundcovers like vinca minor to take up residence there.