Can i grow moss indoors

Acrocarpous type like Polytrichum commune, Dicranum scoparium,Campylopus introflexus and Luecobryum glaucum grow upright while the Pleurocapous varieties are the ones that from the lush green carpets. Some of the most popular varieties are Thuidium delecatulum, Plagiomnium cuspidatum, Climacium americanum, Bryandersonia illecebra, Entodon seductrix, Hypnum cupressiforme, Hypnum imponens, etc. Very often you will see a combination of different varieties in a landscape which creates richer color and texture as well as visual interest to the garden.

When you plan to grow moss in your garden you need to keep in mind that it is not a good idea to use it in areas with heavy traffic. This does not mean that you cannot walk on a moss lawn, but it is better not to plant it on footpaths or walkways.

Another important consideration is the fact that lawns require a good deal of preparation work but the good news is that your green lawn will require minimal attention and maintenance efforts. Remember that these are not flowering plants, so if you want color accents you will need other plant species.

You can combine moss with other shade loving plants like hostas, wild gingers, ferns, trilliums, lilies-of-the-valley, heucheras, etc.

So, how to create a moss garden? There are two ways to grow it in the garden. The first one is the natural way — you just have to wait until the starts growing by itself in the right place from the wind-borne spores. This plant requires an acidic environment, compact soil, protected sun to semi-shade and consistent moisture so you can help by cleaning the site from higher plants, clean the soil, rake it, treat it with herbicides and test the soil pH.

Acidic soil with a pH between 5 and 5. The second way to plant moss in the garden is to get it from the wood, from another garden or a nursery. Keep in mind that a variety which is removed from the bark of a tree is only suitable for growing on trees, and varieties collected from the soil surface will only survive on the ground.

Make sure that the conditions in your garden correspond to the natural environment of your species — illumination, humidity, soil acidity. When you collect moss for re-planting there are some rules that you need to know. Cut a small amount. For this purpose, an ordinary spade or a garden shovel is all you need.

When cutting, it is necessary to go to the underlying substrate, so as not to damage the lower part. Choose the right place and before planting clean the soil from leaves and debris.

As we already mention, semi-shaded areas are more beneficial as moss is vulnerable to bright sunlight, especially during the first months after planting. Before planting it is desirable to put the brought pieces in a container of water for some time — let them be saturated with moisture and gain strength.

Water the soil on the area where you will plant your moss, transfer it and press firmly with your hand. Once planted, it will need watering on a daily basis for a period of two or three weeks. Be careful not to over water it or it will look dark green and patchy.

When you work out a watering schedule keep in mind that moss should be kept moist. Moss varieties that are suitable to grow in the garden are divided in a number of large groups. Irish moss Sagina Subulata — is a perennial plant of the clove family, with branchy stems, small white flowers and needle shaped leaves. It is undemanding to soil and care. It is a kind of mixture between moss and grass, making it ideal for lawns. Common haircap moss Polytrichum commune , also called great golden maidenhair, great goldilocks, common haircap moss — is a decorative plant, almost all types of which are successfully used in landscape design, which got its name due to the similarity with flax.

This perennial plant is exceptionally tall compared to other varieties, with hard stems of cm height and scaly leaves. It is considered a classic of the Japanese garden. Since ancient times it has also been used for medical purposes. Peat moss Sphagnum is a perennial plant with greenish-white branchy stems without roots. It get its name for the preference of peaty soil. Giant spearmoss Calliergon giganteum , also called giant calliergon or arctic moss, is a perennial in bright green or brown color.

It prefers shady areas, but it can handle sunlight as well. It grows equally well on tree trunks, stones and soil. Java moss Vesicularia dubyana is a subspecies of hypnoid mosses. This is a very attractive decorative variety which grows in wetlands, sometimes on snags and rocks.

It is unpretentious to soil and water and can withstand temperature fluctuations well. Most often it is used in decorating aquariums. Fern moss Thuidium is a low-growing plant, which in appearance looks very much like a fern, thus the name. It creates dense and very picturesque thickets that perfectly fit into any landscape but can be aggressive to neighboring plants.

As you see, moss can be a real eye catcher in any garden design. When you choose the right varieties and color shades you can create textured and colorful pictures that will surprise and, undoubtedly, attract the attention of your guests. You can admire the beauty of this amazing plant almost all year round. Moss can help you cover all the unfilled areas of the garden and give the landscape a finished look.

Combining different varieties and garden plants you can create amazing landscapes with rich shades and texture. Using fluorescent bulbs saves 75 percent of the energy required for incandescent bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs also provide broad-spectrum light needed by the plant for growth. Do not put the lamp right over the container as too much light can hurt the moss. Aside from providing the container the correct amount of light, the other essential element of care is watering.

This should be done by misting the surface of the moss with a spray bottle a couple of times a week. It is best to have the lid for the top of the container placed on it to keep the humidity up. It is recommended that you remove the lid once a month for ten to twenty minutes to let the moss air out and prevent mold from growing. As moisture balance is critical for moss, overwatering may stunt growth but excess dryness causes the moss to die. The best way to maintain proper moisture is through misting with distilled or purified water, rather than watering.

It is best to close the container right after misting. If the moss begins to fade or feel dry, you should increase the frequency of misting as, without adequate moisture, the moss will turn brown and die. Closed containers create a slightly higher temperature environment than the surrounding air. What results is a water cycle and a constant supply of water for the moss.

As moisture is recycled in this situation, minimal care is required to keep the moss damp and healthy. You may want to look at purchasing a terrarium in order to grow your own moss indoors. This is a decorative way to create a mini-forest floor in your home. Moss can provide you with a lush, vibrant, living landscape in a beautiful glass terrarium that will enhance any room in your house.

As moss does not have any roots, it will not compete with other plants in your terrarium. If you choose to keep only moss in your terrarium, it is actually then referred to as a mossarium. The first order of business is to find the terrarium itself. These miniature greenhouses are typically glass or plastic and come as sealed or open units. You will want to choose a sealed terrarium with a removable lid for growing moss.

This allows water recycling and self-nourishment to occur to sustain the forest floor environment. Next, you will want to acquire the moss for your terrarium and there are many types to choose from — thousands in fact!

However, some are particularly good for terrariums. Two basic types of growth patterns exist in the moss world , the carpeting or sheet types and the clumping types.

Both will work in your terrarium in different ways. Carpeting type moss includes Sheet moss , which is the most popular and readily available. Another option is the aquatic Java moss that is adaptable to both water and land environments. Feather moss is a hardy moss from the arctic and as the name implies, it is feather-like in nature. Fern moss has long, fern-like leaves and it will add texture to your mini-forest scape. Clumping mosses include Cushion moss , which has small, prolific leaves that form compact mounds.

Mood moss grows in clumps but has wavy leaves that resemble windswept grasslands and is a popular addition to terrariums. Star moss grows in spiky, star-like shapes for a unique look that will add interest. Sphagnum moss is a backbone for terrariums but it does not really fit into either the carpeting or clumping moss categories, exclusively. Setting up a terrarium is like setting up any other glass container with a lid for moss growth. The enclosed environment allows the natural water cycle to occur and sustain the moss.

Start with a substrate of some sort that will encourage the moss rhizoids to attach. Rhizoids in bryophytes function in a similar way to the roots of other plant species. Next, you can place sticks and rocks in to add variety to the landscape. In nature, moss happily grows up on cliffs and trees. Then, select a carpeting type moss for the first layer above the substrate and position it gently.

A clumping moss can then be added to soften areas around the logs and rocks that have been added. Be sure to mist well for the first several weeks while the moss is adapting to its new home. Give it the two hours of sunshine it needs and then make sure it is in indirect light for the remainder of the day. No need to fertilize as the water cycle of a closed terrarium takes care of all the needs. Just enjoy your beautiful creation. Other plants can be grown in your moss garden for added interest.

Slow growing plants like ferns are a good choice. Since they may need fertilizer, you will have to carefully water these plants with a fertilizer solution but avoid spreading it liberally on the moss.

Bonsai trees also are a nice choice to grow with moss. A full bed of moss around a slow-growing bonsai will help the soil retain moisture. For moss to survive, the growing area is kept constantly moist at least the first three weeks. Learn more here. Moss take nutrient directly from the air, so humidity is very much an important factor for growing them.

Humidity control is very much touch and difficult. If giving enough moisture in the area, there will be a sufficient amount of humidity in the growing area. Water will increase the humidity in the area but the best method is to use an automated misting system. Pincers — For Place moss, Propagate Moss and remove dead area pincers are used. Along with them, a flat spatula design for that smooth moss can out over a surface. Spray Bottle —For watering and increase the humidity of the moss garden spray bottles are used.

Scissors — To cut off dead leave and to control the look and shape of moss garden scissors have been used. Must use the sharpest scissor so that there will be less minimal possibility of damage to moss.

Trowel — A Standard trowel used to transfer soil into a pot or container to create a moss garden. But, Gloves used to protect the hand from dirt and mess. Now, we will move on to the part where we will discuss how to grow it. In order to do it indoors, it is better to choose a glass container or a terrarium.

Because, as you will be growing the moss for the decorative purpose. It should be contained in such an object which can be displayed properly. We have an article for growing succulents indoors. This plating is somewhat relevant to that. But, the whole method is different and purpose too. Also, it suffices the requirement of sunlight for the moss to grow. If there is a possibility of breaking the glass or terrarium than you can choose plastic material to hold the moss.

Whatever may be the material the container has to be wide and shallow. As it will make bed making for the moss easier and have ample space for moss to spread and grow.

There are mainly three types of moss available for plantation. Musci is most refer to typical mosses. Main Factor of musci moss that, the difference between leaves and stem. These are the typical moss that we all have the perception of. Musci are those which appear and feel like carpet. Their stems are either upright or matted down to the ground. The most common musci mosses are Sphagnum and Hypnaceae types and they are best suitable for use as a soil amendment.

Very well known Moss. Hepaticae which has another name liverworts are those ones that are soft to touch. They are identified by how soft when they are touch. Lastly, Anthocerotae is easily distinguished for its pointy branches.

Another name is hornworts, which are distinguishable by their pointed branches that bear all spores. They also prefer damp, high-humidity environments like Hepaticae but they like a few amounts of sun. They are the rarest type, and also have fewest species.