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bobk544

Moss after leaves fall

bobk544
14 years ago

Hello,

I moved to a new house a few years ago with alot of oak trees and the only thing that seems to be able to grow under the dense tree canopy is a variety of moss which i'm not sure yet what it is.

Now i've never really taken note of what happens to the Moss state of growth after the leaves fall and the Moss being exposed to regular sunlight for at least 70% of the day versus maybe 20% of the day when the leaves are in full growth.

What i'm now a bit worried about is will that apparently shady oriented Moss now be stunted by the switch from shade to almost full sun?

Oh i quess i'm now more concerned because i noticed that the Mooss that used to grow on the roof shingles has now pretty much disappeared and if it's the same Moss as on on the ground, will the ground Moss now disappear? or be severely damaged.

Bottom line? i really worried about ground erosion and if the Moss is stunted from the new exposure to sunlight then i may end up with a continual muddy yard erosion and i'm didn't pay any attention to it last year so i'm now wondering more so!

Thanks for any insights and i did notice on some posts on this Website that i might be able to plant a sun oriented Moss call Bryum caespiticium or Bryum argenteumsee, would that be a good idea to plant in addition to whatever i have now? and if so, would i now be able to plant this Bryum this late in the season, end of Novemeber, on the EastCoast zone 7 when it will soon be in the 30's?

BobK

Mclean Virginia

Comments (6)

  • gamekeeper
    14 years ago

    I have a very similar area in front of my home with two huge Oaks.The moss will hold off errosion,but if you want to plant the area I have had real good luck with Rhodadendrons and Azaleas and a variety of ferns mixed in quite stunning.

  • bobk544
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks gamekeeper i will definitely look into your suggestions there and just to give an update on the moss, i've been checking it closely everyday now and its been getting cold around 35 and tomorrow we're in for about a foot of snow so i hoping it makes it thru ok, and i also just recently found out that i have some ajuga, i think the name is, and it seemes to be growing ok in shady areas and has an interesting leaf and grows low to the ground, so if it makes it thru the winter ok, i will try to get some of that going here and there.

    Thanks again and i'm looking forward to researching your suggestions!
    Have some Happy Holidays!

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    14 years ago

    The moss in my yard was buried under nearly a foot of snow less than two weeks ago. Add to this, two nights that dipped below 20°F for many, many hours.

    The moss has never looked better. My ferns, however, are a bit flattened from the snow-load......

    Josh

  • bobk544
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks greenman that's great news, puts me at ease, really worried about erosion, just spent all day today digging out, first round anyway, more tomorrow, live in Mclean Virginia, maybe you've heard how we are all in a state of panic around here? ie 1 inch of snow in there area and everthing grinds to a halt, but it looks like the total here will be around 20 inches, but regarding MOSS, i used to think i wsa the sign of something sick with the ground, but actually it is a nice color green, but the moss on the roof was a worry for awhile and i was researching chemical solutions, but as soon as the sun got ot it, it cleared right up, ie after the leaves fell, so that's why i was worried about the ground moss, ie would it go bye bye too, so it must be a different strain maybe? or maybe the ground moss is able to get it's the moisture it needs whereas the roof moss doesn't have the damp shady moisture available, so i'm definitely looking forward to spring to try out these new ideas, thanks for the information and have some Happy Holidays greenman! and all

  • bobk544
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Hello, just following up on the moss after the snow and you are absolutely right greenman, the moss actually looks better than ever, so that's a big relief and i am noticing that the moss may be tougher than i thought as i do have to walk on some here and there and even though it gets flattened, it still seems to hang in there, so i'm really starting to appreciate this plant phenonmemna and so that small patch of ajuga is maintaining its color ok, so keeping and eye on that for future propogation and i found out it was adjuga after taking a sample to the garden center in Merryfield Va, great bunch of folks there with many years of experience!

    Happy Holidays all!

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    14 years ago

    Great follow-up...!
    I think I'll take pics of some of the mossy rocks in my yard.

    Josh

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