Creeping Moss...... How To!

Have you ever seen 'Creeping Moss' growing on trees, rocks, bricks and terracotta flower pots, and wanted some,,, hard thing to buy I know... I can tell you how to make your own grow and flourish in your garden! The photo above is my big "Hickory Tree" and last year I painted it with Yogurt..... yes Yogurt!

                   
I simply bought a container of 'plain yogurt', took a paintbrush and went around my yard.. picked out choice rocks, flowerpots and a few trees... painted the yogurt on, and within the year the "Moss" was growing!

          

Moss doesn’t really put roots into the soil or surface underneath it so much as anchor itself to the soil or surface using a rudimentary structure called a rhizoid. Moss can grow on trees, rocks, soil, sand, roofs, old gym shoes, foam rubber, old rugs etc. but moss cannot grow or attach itself to a smooth surface because there is nothing to grip. Once I found Brachythecium salebrosum , a nice very thick carpeter creeping moss, growing on a smooth red clay brick in a dry stream bed. The frequent rains kept the salebrosum well hydrated and the moss hanging off the brick on the upstream side was positioned to brace itself against the rushing waters. Thinking that this moss had adhered to the brick, I lifted the brick and moss together and then carefully examining the moss found that it was not adhering or attaching to the brick at all, but instead just laying on the brick. Except when you are growing moss in containers you generally will want to use a soil or other surface that moss can grip.

The moss I grew seems to be laying on the surface of all the areas I painted the yogurt.

After 'painting' with yogurt try not to 'wash with the hose' for as long as possible,, several weeks if you can avoid it... then when watering your garden, 'do' get the yogurt spot wet.. it likes moisture and will grow very well!  Try to avoid 'sunny' spots, stick to the shady areas if you can... One of my 'Moss spots' is growing in about 4 hrs of sun a day...But remember, it likes water and often.

This was a trick my Mom taught me, many moons ago (her words not mine)...

Who knew?

"Happy Memorial Day" everyone... Fly your Flag proudly!

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Garden Party @ Soughern Fried Dreams