BONSAI GROUND COVER

[August44]

I would like to have some ground cover for my bonsai trees in the grow pots or in a bonsai pots. I think it looks nice and might help to retain moisture also. I don't think this dry, low humidity climate I live in will allow me to have a moss covering as I think it would dry out. I saw some very small sedum today that was a pretty nice looking ground cover. At maturity it was not more that 1/2"-3/4" high and it spreads pretty rapidly I was told. Has anybody had any experience with that or know of another alternative that I could try? Thanks for help

 

[TN_Jim]

Certain species of moss will only thrive in very xeric/dry associated conditions -like what is found in cracks in the sidewalk or the parking lot of my daughters school where it is abundant on small piles of gravel on the blacktop

sedum is an excellent groundcover in dry or rocky conditions; however, it is my understanding that it, like pretty much any other “plant” (monocot/dicot) species is poor with bonsai as it will rob your trees of water, nutrients, and worse -compete for minimal space within a bonsai pot root-wise. You want your pots full of your trees roots, not other species that can be detrimental to your goals

 

[August44]

I was afraid of that with the sedum. Wonder where I might get some of the moss that is more adaptable to dryer climate areas?

 

[TN_Jim]

I

I was afraid of that with the sedum. Wonder where I might get some of the moss that is more adaptable to dryer climate areas?

I find it in areas like those mentioned above and it seems to really like corners such as where a paved surface meets a brick wall -so yea I’m that weirdo behind the shopping center . That said, I’m not showing trees and while not as attractive unless it springs to life, I mostly use sphagnum on trees that benefit from moss

 

[garywood]

Peter, Chris Kirk at Telperion Farms, east of Salem has some of the short nap sidewalk moss that was introduced several years ago but I don't know what effect the Oregon climate had on it. Check with him.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Peter, Chris Kirk at Telperion Farms, east of Salem has some of the short nap sidewalk moss that was introduced several years ago but I don't know what effect the Oregon climate had on it. Check with him.

LOL! Surprised you don't know Gary. The stuff loves our wet rainy Winters. Is a bane to homeowners with shady sidewalks(slippery stuff when wet). However not sure if will do well in cold NE part of state.

 

[Shibui]

In many areas growers have given up trying to grow moss on bonsai pots and resorted to topdress with stones. Not the glued on kind In some areas there are plenty of different coarse sand options that look good. Stone mulch conserves water, supresses weeds and far easier to maintain than moss in many places.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Beech or pine flakes seem like a cheap solution. Some people prefer cocoa hulls because of their fine structure.
Moss will follow by itself eventually.

 

[Colorado]

I feel your pain Peter. A lot of people don’t understand that there is no “sidewalk moss” in very dry areas, unfortunately!

You might try purchasing some moss spores online. I can’t recommend a vendor, as I have not tried this approach yet myself. Here’s an example:

https://www.amazon.com/Joshua-Roth-...s=bonsai+moss&qid=1556362951&s=gateway&sr=8-5

But it looks from the reviews like its a bit tricky to grow from spores...

 

[Tieball]

I never thought if Oregon as dry and low humidity. All this time I thought it was the opposite.....and had moss growing everywhere, especially in the wooded areas. I have both a lush green moss and also a dry, I will call it crusty, moss that grows and covers the full sun hot places on my sandy areas....it could possibly just be dried moss that won’t go away.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

I would think regardless of the local climate moss would grow on your bonsai pots. If it's that dry you must water multiple times a day? Just a thought.

Along these same lines I've started basically mulching some of my trees with the pine bark soil conditioner as a top dressing, anyone know of any negative side effects from this practice?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I don’t want anything with roots growing among my Bonsai tree’s roots, competing for space, moisture, or nutrients. Moss is ok, but usually I remove it so I can easily see if the tree is getting watered correctly. Go for a walk in the woods and take a spatula or old knife with you, and a few sandwich bags. Scrape off some moss in sheets the size of the palm of your hand, and place them in your garden where you can hit them with water when you water your trees. It will grow. I have enough moss now in my back yard that I can top-dress quite a few trees without leaving the back yard. But after shows, I remove most of the moss again, and add a fresh layer of soil.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I feel your pain Peter. A lot of people don’t understand that there is no “sidewalk moss” in very dry areas, unfortunately!

You might be surprised. I think moss grows just about everywhere if you look hard enough. Some of the best moss I've ever found was in sidewalk cracks outside of a carwash in Westminster, CA... about 10 miles from any natural source of water

However I agree with @Brian Van Fleet about moss on bonsai. I keep my deciduous under shade cloth and I am constantly battling with moss. Once it starts to form it spreads and thickens and starts to climb the trunk. On thick-barked trees once it gets on the trunk it will accelerate decomposition of the very bark you are trying to develop, as well as ground level jins or deadwood.

However even if you don't use it as top dressing on your bonsai, there are still plenty of uses for it - including companion plants, rock plantings, landscapes, etc.

 

[August44]

Lots of help here and thanks for the input. To understand Oregon better...Oregon has a West side which can be rainy, wet, high humidity, dreary days where it rains all day and then there is the East side where I live. I was raised on the West side but moved to the East side when I was pretty young cause I am a sun person and the West side is depressing to me. The East and West side are divided by the Cascade Mt range. Portland, on the West side gets about 37" of rain per year. Baker City gets 17". The humidity on the East side is also pretty low compared to the West side. There are days in the summer and winter here where it is just about not measurable. There is moss here in the right places and maybe I need to just go to work and collect some and try it. I don't want to cover all the soil in a pot, just a little here and there.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I don't want to cover all the soil in a pot, just a little here and there.

Have fun! The thing about moss is that it isn't static. If you put it in the wrong place, it will die. If you put it in the right place it will spread. That is why you will usually only see it on trees at shows - when it is applied just before the show so that it can be perfect... and removed immediately thereafter

Trust me when I say that you can find moss just about anywhere. I can find it in Joshua Tree National Park or the Mojave desert. It will disappear in the summer, but visit those places after a couple of winter rains, go down into a wash and look at the north-facing side of rocks and you'll be surprised...

 

[Hartinez]

Growing moss on bonsai seems to be pretty polarizing in the Bonsai world. Some seem to love it and see benefits. Others hate it and feel it’s a detriment. There is info online on how to top dress and encourage moss growth. Here in NM where it’s is very dry with little rain, I cover my substrate with sphagnum just to keep from having to water a million times per day during the peak of summer. Seems to help keep my roots semi moist on the hottest of those days.
Here’s a nice blog post by Michael Hagerdorn on the subject of moss. https://crataegus.com/2012/07/05/the-moss-myth/

I know @PiñonJ has had luck growing moss from spores in Santa Fe NM.

 

[PiñonJ]

I would like to have some ground cover for my bonsai trees in the grow pots or in a bonsai pots. I think it looks nice and might help to retain moisture also. I don't think this dry, low humidity climate I live in will allow me to have a moss covering as I think it would dry out. I saw some very small sedum today that was a pretty nice looking ground cover. At maturity it was not more that 1/2"-3/4" high and it spreads pretty rapidly I was told. Has anybody had any experience with that or know of another alternative that I could try? Thanks for help

Growing moss on bonsai seems to be pretty polarizing in the Bonsai world. Some seem to love it and see benefits. Others hate it and feel it’s a detriment. There is info online on how to top dress and encourage moss growth. Here in NM where it’s is very dry with little rain, I cover my substrate with sphagnum just to keep from having to water a million times per day during the peak of summer. Seems to help keep my roots semi moist on the hottest of those days.
Here’s a nice blog post by Michael Hagerdorn on the subject of moss. https://crataegus.com/2012/07/05/the-moss-myth/

I know @PiñonJ has had luck growing moss from spores in Santa Fe NM.

Moss protects the soil and allows the root system to occupy the entire available space in the pot. I use the Mirai technique of collecting moss from the landscape, screening it to the same size as my soil particles and mixing it 50:50 with sphagnum screened to the same size. I water three times a day in summer and the moss grows. The biggest threat to my moss is birds. Don’t use ground cover plants. They will rob resources from your tree.

 

[Hartinez]

Moss protects the soil and allows the root system to occupy the entire available space in the pot. I use the Mirai technique of collecting moss from the landscape, screening it to the same size as my soil particles and mixing it 50:50 with sphagnum screened to the same size. I water three times a day in summer and the moss grows. The biggest threat to my moss is birds. Don’t use ground cover plants. They will rob resources from your tree.

I’ve been trying the Mirai technique, but can’t get the moss to grow. I guess a three time a day watering schedule is on the horizon!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I’ve been trying the Mirai technique, but can’t get the moss to grow. I guess a three time a day watering schedule is on the horizon!

(1) It helps if you have a larger, deeper pot.
(2) Use organic fertilizer.
(3) Moss likes soft, acidic water. It is one reason it does well in rain water, but does not always do well in irrigated water. The moss I found in Westminster was doing well because the car wash was using RO/DI water to wash cars (so that the water wouldn't leave spots).

 

[DirkvanDreven]

During our club show the soil around my small larch was covered with different mosses. Larch roots were growing between the soil and the mos. Even after only two weeks. I removed the mos very soon after the show. Roots should grow in my precious akadama/pumice soil not in the mossession.
BTW, larch roots also like to grow into the teabags with fertilizer. So I also move teabags around every few weeks.