Found Moss Growing in my Neighborhood 🤔 💭

[pandacular]

I saved it and will be using what you sent me Your note on wet vs dry being similar is interesting. Do you basically “eyeball” it until it’s roughly the correct color?

Yes, that's basically my process...except I'm colorblind, so it could probably use some improvement lol. I also don't strictly rely on the color of the moss to determine if my trees need watering, but it is useful to see.

I really like having nice moss on my trees. When I am asked why/how I got into bonsai, one of my stock answers is "because terraforming wasn't accessible." When I'm growing moss and mushrooms in pots with my trees, it makes me feel like I'm terraforming.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

How about moss being useful for suppression of weeds, is that a thing? My pots get full of persistent oxalis, grasses, clovers etc, feels like it could help.

I have moss on some trees, not all. Sometimes it grows spontaneously on my pots with akadama or kanuma, but rarely the entire surface.

Generally speaking I find that if I am having weed problems, it is because I have too much organic mix in my soil, or am using organic soil instead of inorganic soil

The key with bonsai moss is that it is usually grown elsewhere, and then placed on top of your inorganic bonsai soil in a pot. The moss comes with its own "backing" of organic soil, but otherwise that organic soil doesn't get into your soil mix to clog it up

 

[Bonsai Forest]

Yes, that's basically my process...except I'm colorblind, so it could probably use some improvement lol. I also don't strictly rely on the color of the moss to determine if my trees need watering, but it is useful to see.

I really like having nice moss on my trees. When I am asked why/how I got into bonsai, one of my stock answers is "because terraforming wasn't accessible." When I'm growing moss and mushrooms in pots with my trees, it makes me feel like I'm terraforming.

lol colorblind also, and I have to google terraforming

 

[RobGA]

My best moss came from a crack in a sidewalk outside of a carwash in Gardena... outside of Chikugo-En Bonsai Nursery. Full Southern California sun - all day every day - no shade. I guess they were using very good water at the car wash, because it would run down the drive into the gutter - and there was beautiful green moss everywhere.

And for the record... if you want to grow moss the keys are soft, slightly acidic water (rainwater is best) and organic soil. Create a small grow tray of organic soil, take your moss and some soft water and put it in a blender and blend it, spread over your soil, and then put a humidity dome over it until the moss is starting to grow (making sure not to bake your moss). When you have a full sheet of moss, you can use as you wish.

The water is key. I am trying to get moss to take over large areas of my back yard. I ignored it for a few years and then started regularly watering it. The amount of growth and spread has been impressive since regularly watering.

 

[Wulfskaar]

How about moss being useful for suppression of weeds, is that a thing? My pots get full of persistent oxalis, grasses, clovers etc, feels like it could help.

I have moss on some trees, not all. Sometimes it grows spontaneously on my pots with akadama or kanuma, but rarely the entire surface.

My "plop" method tends to bring in weeds. I pluck them out as they grow. I'll be trying the other method and hopefully that will lessen the weeds that spring up.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

How about moss being useful for suppression of weeds, is that a thing? My pots get full of persistent oxalis, grasses, clovers etc, feels like it could help.

I have moss on some trees, not all. Sometimes it grows spontaneously on my pots with akadama or kanuma, but rarely the entire surface.

Moss seems to be a great capturing device for seeds floating in the wind in my yard.
So if I would have to make a statement on it, I'd say it's a weed attractor instead of a suppressor.

 

[SgtPilko]

Generally speaking I find that if I am having weed problems, it is because I have too much organic mix in my soil, or am using organic soil instead of inorganic soil

The key with bonsai moss is that it is usually grown elsewhere, and then placed on top of your inorganic bonsai soil in a pot. The moss comes with its own "backing" of organic soil, but otherwise that organic soil doesn't get into your soil mix to clog it up

Yeah my soils are totally inorganic, but I think the weeds must love the organic ferts like tamahi, oceana etc.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Apply moss several months, at least 2, better is 3 months before the show you plan to exhibit at.

Scrape and remove a little soil before applying moss. If you're putting on a quarter inch layer of moss, first remove a quarter inch.

Place some whole pieces around the pot.. For a creative touch, you can arrange them like the shadow cast by the tree. Then fill in with shredded moss& sphagnum blend, then a dusting of dark colored fines from media, I use "purple quartzite" which I get as "Cherrystone Grit" for poultry out of New Ulm Minnesota.

The mix of pieces and shredded moss will result in texture variation, more like grass or undergrowth.

A moss carpet looks great but can seal out water, you may have to dunk trees in a bucket to water once moss carpet fills in. As a result, usually right after a show I remove at least half of the moss.

I planted a seed flat with "crack in sidewalk moss" a few years ago. After a couple years it became a reliable producer of moss already rooted in to my mix. Never fertilize your moss flat.

When I first started with a bonsai club, back in 1993 or 1994 it was required that trees be 100% mossed if they were exhibited. Now most shows do not require moss. Worth reading show rules before you exhibit.

 

[plant_dr]

I’m not a member of Mirai and have not found video content yet. Do you have a link to share (if it’s free and available content)

Just type in, "top dressing bonsai" on YouTube. You'll find plenty of videos from various creators. You should be able to find what you need..

 

[BearSeattle]

New here; was just googling to find out if putting moss on my bonsai was bad for it it not. I put some on the surface of the soil and it has quickly filled in. I did chuckle at the idea of it being hard to grow moss. But I live in the Seattle area. It's a struggle to keep the moss at bay. It filled the entire surface of the pot pretty quickly. It's very rainy now but could it stop water from soaking in when the weather get more dry?

 

[johng]

just a heads up...if you choose to use DRIED sphagnum moss or shred DRY sphagnum moss be very careful...it harbors an agent that can cause very serious respiratory illness. Back in the 80's and 90's there was a PBS program called New Horizons in Bonsai. The host was Brain Batchelder. He died from inhaling dried sphagnum moss. I use it regularly but I am very careful to throughly wet it before use.

You might learn more here...

Bonsai in Sphagnum: Brain Batchelder - YouTube​

YouTube · Grow & Clip Bonsai for Seniors
550+ views · 2 years ago

 

[BearSeattle]

Last summer I pulled off some moss that was growing on an old weeping cherry in our yard. Placed the pieces on the soil of my bonsai and it just grew. No special care needed.

The tree itself is still recovering from a stay with friends while we were out of town (before the moss was added). I told them it could be outside, with a daily splash of water if it didn't rain. It ended up inside next to a humidifier and I think it was under watered. I came back to it being leggy, with the tips growing but everything else kind of dead. Thankfully it didn't die. Next time we go away in dry months it will stay at the nursery where I originally purchased it. They do bonsai sitting for free if you bought it there.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Last summer I pulled off some moss that was growing on an old weeping cherry in our yard. Placed the pieces on the soil of my bonsai and it just grew. No special care needed.
View attachment 528532
The tree itself is still recovering from a stay with friends while we were out of town (before the moss was added). I told them it could be outside, with a daily splash of water if it didn't rain. It ended up inside next to a humidifier and I think it was under watered. I came back to it being leggy, with the tips growing but everything else kind of dead. Thankfully it didn't die. Next time we go away in dry months it will stay at the nursery where I originally purchased it. They do bonsai sitting for free if you bought it there.

Kudos that you have brought this tree back from the edge of extinction. Boarding at a nursery is worth the expense and saves on the stress that tree care puts on friendships.