It might work. Just use gloves. Chiggers live in it. You definitely don't want to get bit by chiggers. They will get under your skin and are very painful.

I use it in all my potted plants outside to keep weeds down and prevent evaporation. Seems to last a while. Only problem I've had is never having enough!

I also have started using it as a mulch for my potted plants. I looks good for quite a while and even when it starts to deteriorate it retains a certain appeal. One of my issues of Florida Gardening had gotten me interested in this and in the article they talked about Chiggers. Yes, chiggers can be found in Spanish Moss, but it is the moss on the ground that they apparently go for. The chances of running into them in the moss hanging from trees are greatly diminished.

That said, when I got home with the moss I had harvested from my In-Laws' Water Oaks, I filled three buckets with soapy water and submerged the moss for 24 hours. I then laid the moss out on the driveway to bake and dry. Even after all this, the moss itself was still alive. Even now, the moss in two pots will brighten and green up when I water, though I have not noticed any growth.

Since I don't have a lot of potted plants, I had some leftover moss and I decided to encircle one of my roebellinis with the leftovers. This made for a thin, less than an inch, gray mat and I figured that while it might look good for a short while, I would have to add more for actual weed prevention, but in a month and a half I have only seen one nutsedge sprout in the area of the moss.

Finally, also mentioned in the article, while you can use Spanish Moss as a mulch or compost filler, it does not add much, nutrient-wise, to the soil as it breaks down.

I understood it is high in nitrogen? Is that incorrect?

Can spanish moss be added to the compost pile if it's high in nitrogen?