David,
I think this is one of the reasons pro-bonsai-ists with lots of plants put the moss on the 'for display' plants one or two months earlier rather than keep it on all the time. I discovered this little secret from talking to the Bonsai keepers at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. Doesn't help those of us who like to grow and display at the same time!
Alan

I'm glad to have seen this posting! I just came inside from surveying my garden and WOW I've got two or three different types of moss growing in my yard, so I am thinking of "bonzai-ing" an outdoors mini-azaelia and I want to put some of my moss in/on the rock I wish to include. Now, since azaelias like it acidic, do you folks think the moss might do better under the acidic conditions? Thanks in advance for any ideas on this query. great, gardening, to, all, Justine

Regarding moss doing better under acidic conditions--depends on the moss. :)

Regarding moss on bonsai... mosses in general tend to do well in low-nutrient situations. So to some extent fertilizer burn in inevitable. I think you can lessen it quite a bit, though, by using mosses that do well with pollution, road runoff, etc. IOW, city mosses. A couple that I know can do well in regularly-fertilized pots are Bryum argenteum and Funaria hygrometrica. Bryum argenteum is also sometimes called "sidewalk moss". If you see a moss growing in the cracks of a sidewalk, it's probably Bryum argenteum. Funaria might be harder to find. The main place I'm familiar with it from is in greenhouses, where it volunteers quite readily in wet sunny areas. It's also on the north sides of some buildings here in Las Cruces. In any case, I'd guess that mosses collected in the city are going to be a much better bet than anything collected out in the wild. If it's growing in the city, you already know it can take some abuse.

Patrick Alexander

Thanks for all the great advise.

Simple fix - I've inserted slow release 10-10-10 bonsai fertilizer pellets into the soil and AWAY from the clumps of moss. So far, for the past 10 days, the moss is doing great, and the fertilizer is reaching my trees that are slowly waking up from their winter nap.

As long as the moss is spread out in clumps with open spaces for pellet fertilizer, everything should be fine. This way the pot won't get saturated with moisture, and the trees roots can breathe and get fertilized.

The type of moss I use doesn't like the grainy bonsai soil, so I've put muck dirt under each clump.

With the cold damp 35 F degree nights, and the warm 50 degree days, my moss is thriving like crazy (as long as I spray-mist it with water every day).

I've collected about 5 square feet from our property.....I found so many new species of moss that I never knew they grew around here.

What I'm doing is using slabs of 24" x 12" slate, and creating micro-environments with some bonsai, driftwood, rocks, various soils, and the most important part - MOSS.

I'll post some pictures in the gallery by this weekend.

David in zone 5 b

Moss is like a filter, capturing soluble salts, etc., as water travels through it. That's how it survives on solid rock! When you apply fertilizers, dilute and finish with a clean flush. Something else to consider is the temperature and growth season of the moss. I have good response to organic fertilizer when the temperature is cool and the moss is growing. When it starts getting warm, no more salt of any kind!