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Moss, Ferns & Cryptogams

Growing a nice carpet of moss

13 years ago

Hey there everyone,

I need help!

At the moment there are quite a few patches of moss mixed in with grass and patches of bare ground... I'd like to convert the whole thing over to moss.

First I was wondering if there is a certain moss that's ideal for this purpose. We have deep shade to dappled sunlight in east massachusetts. Soil is mildly acidic with a fair bit of oak and some pine. and the soil stays pretty moist most of the year.

Next, what's the best way to plant it? I've read about the sticking it in a blender with milk method which seems ok but I want to cover a pretty big area so....

What about the grass? Should I pull it all out? And should I sprinkle the spots with bare ground with some better soil?

Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. My family is getting sick of the yard and so i decided to intervene with a solution before they did something drastic...

thanks,

S

Comments (2)

gardendeb
13 years ago
Hi. I would certainly pull the grass up by hand as best as I could. As there is moss already growing, it probably just needs some encouragement. I think if you added some soil acidifier, it might help as well. I wouldn't add better soil to the bare spots, as it may encourage weeds and grass.

I never tried the blender method, but I just collected moss and planted it.

You may want to add stepping stones, or some sort of traffic to protect the moss as it becomes established.

Here's a description of how I cultivated my moss garden on my blog: http://deborahsgarden.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-does-my-moss-garden-grow.html

I can't tell you which mosses are best. I just gathered all different types and created a patchwork. I figured whatever survived best would take over the area.
kampung
Original Author
13 years ago
ok thanks gardendeb, nice photos!
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