Keeping moss alive?

[Squeaker]

Hi, i just went on my roof the other day and found that i have virtually an endless supply of gorgeous moss growing up there. So i brought some down (almost fell out of the tree while climbing down with one hand full of moss lol). Anyway, i put it around the base of my bonsai, theres 2 kinds, one sortof repels water on the surface and one soaks it up and drains well. The one that is more water permeable is prettier and so far doing better than the other. The one that repels water is drying up a little, but seems to have perked up some since i dunked it in some water.

Whats the best care for it and my bonsai. Should it be misted daily, twice a day, every other day? And does that cut back on bonsai watering at all? Im sure it obviously depends on the weather, i just want to keep it alive until i learn its requirements its under my covered patio and gets indirect sun. Its about 60deg in the day and maybe 40deg at night, sometimes we get alot of wind.

 

[Poink88]

Most people I know only dress their bonsai with moss for show. After and before, no moss.

By the way, what is the condition up on your roof? Maybe if you replicate that, they will thrive.

 

[rockm]

The moss you've collected will die in the pot, at least at first. It takes a while for moss to establish itself in a bonsai pot. It can take several years for a good crop to develop.

Moss, as mentioned, is almost always a temporary addition to a bonsai. Most bonsaiists DON'T look to have in growing permanently with their trees for a number of reasons. First, it can become a nuisance when it's established forming on the lower parts of tree trunks and over roots. The care required to cultivate moss is different than the care required for most bonsai--moist to wet acidic soil that has to be mostly barren of nutrients...That means if you're caring for the moss, you could be killing the tree and vice versa. Additionally, it can also hamper watering, especially in the summer when it "browns out" from the heat.

Moss is a seasonal thing, mostly. It comes and goes on its own in my bonsai (the kind that shows up naturally in a pot is always more reliable than those that are physically applied), although I will go out and collect a few slabs of it if a tree is going to be presented in a formal situation like a show or for friends. I remove those slabs in a few days, though.

 

[GrimLore]

In the "potters clay" type mix we have all been chatting about on another thread you must coat the whole thing with moss and keep it there to hold it all together and keep in moisture.
I think it was Judy in another thread sometime ago mentioned if you have local moss and you want it to grow you can basically cover the plants and mist the soil with buttermilk - the local moss will then grow on the "treated" surface.
Where I need moss I just collect it and as long as it is kept moist it stays green - even in the worst cold. If it dries up and you readminister moisture it turns green again.

 

[Poink88]

You can even collect dried moss...crumble them and spread it over your pot and water. In a few days, if the condition is ideal, they will grow.

I read someone puts cheesecloth over them to retain moisture and avoid it getting washed off. Have not tried it myself yet.

 

[GrimLore]

You can even collect dried moss...crumble them and spread it over your pot and water. In a few days, if the condition is ideal, they will grow.

I read someone puts cheesecloth over them to retain moisture and avoid it getting washed off. Have not tried it myself yet.

Honest it does not require that much attention - just water. In one of her "winter" setups for her tropicals I put in a 2 inch clay pot with moss over soil. She judges how much moisture to add to the enclosure by how green the moss is - no need for a meter

 

[Squeaker]

Awesome, thanks for the replies everyone

 

[Victor52]

I keep my trees in full sun, so I collect moss from the cracks of sidewalks where they are accustomed to the hot and drying conditions. Rather than tending to the moss look for moss that grows near the same conditions as your trees.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Let’s bring this one back to life with another question. I keep reading that if you try to grow moss permanently on your tree soil you cannot use “chemical” fertilizer, only organic. The conventional wisdom seems to be that the moss will die if exposed to something like Miracle Gro but apply organics and no problemo. So what has your experience been in this realm?

 

[0soyoung]

It is just the nitrogen concentration that kills moss.
A pile of poo is an N of about 4. Apply one fourth as much chem fert with N=16.
We have problems in my area with moss invading our wonderful blue grass lawns. We 'control'/eliminate it with moss killer that is just 30-2-2 chem fert. Or, just have the neighborhood's dogs over for a pee party.

 

[VAFisher]

I had several trees that grew moss in the pots last year naturally and I fertilized with chemical ferts weekly. It was mostly on trees that had not been repotted that year. Once it got going it was hard to get rid of. The ferts would slow it down but it always came back strong.

I could not kill the moss on this one.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Yes, that story about chem ferts killing moss seemed suspect to me as Nigel Saunders uses it on his trees and they are covered in moss. I would be more willing to believe the salt effect was doing it if anything. I worked as a plant ecologist for over 30 years but mosses were not on my radar screen.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I try to get rid of moss. It tends to make the nebari mooshy.

Or, for the purists, "mushi."