How to Grow Moss Without Weeds

Moss grows in places other plants cannot.

A thick carpet of moss might not look so attractive if it is interspersed with random grasses and dandelions. While pulling up each weed as it spouts is effective, it is also time consuming, especially if you have a large area of moss. Moss is not the same as other plants and doesn’t have the same needs. In particular, it requires little in the way of soil. Taking advantage of the qualities of moss can greatly reduce the amount of weeding required. Does this Spark an idea?

Things You'll Need

• Rocks
• Blender
• Buttermilk or yogurt
• Bowl
• Paintbrush
• Plant mister
• All-purpose fertilizer
• Buckets

Instructions

1. Select an area of barren ground for your moss. Paving slabs, concrete and rocks are all suitable. Moss can grow upon such surfaces, but few weeds can. If you want a more ornate moss garden, arrange large rocks in a way you find appealing. Flat rocks in the gaps provide another surface for mosses that weeds cannot colonize.

2. Select one or more types of moss from elsewhere in your garden and remove a small amount. Preferably, select mosses that are growing on a similar surface. If you choose mosses growing on wood or soil, provide extra nutrients and moisture later on. For a moss garden, select several different types for variety. For groundcover, select a species that appears to grow rapidly.

3. Tear the moss into little pieces and blend briefly with a pint of yogurt or buttermilk and a pint of water. A little fertilizer is optional but helps, especially with soil-growing mosses. The mixture should be full of moss spores, and the other ingredients provide moisture and nutrients. Pour the mixture into a bowl, take it to the site and paint it liberally on the surfaces.

4. Mist the surfaces daily. Moss needs moisture.

5. Add a small amount of general-purpose organic or inorganic fertilizer to the water for misting once a week. Use a little less than the packaging recommends for most plants.

6. Remove stray weed seedlings as they appear. Although a rocky or concrete surface is inhospitable to weeds, they might briefly establish themselves among the moss.

Tips & Warnings

• Mosses often grow best in shaded or partly shaded locations, mainly because such sites are damper. If your surfaces receive a lot of direct sunlight, consider adding large-leaved potted plants to provide shade. Alternatively, mist more frequently.

• Use rainwater or dechlorinated water for misting. Dechlorinate tap water by leaving it in buckets for 24 hours.

• You can also carefully peel off a section of moss and transplant it to the site. Add a thin layer of soil to the surface before positioning the moss. Press the moss down gently and mist thoroughly.

• Moss spores or sheets of moss are increasingly available from garden centers or online.

• Potter’s clay in the blended moss mix helps it to stick to rocks.

References

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden: The Simple Art of Moss Gardening
• Apartment Therapy: How to Grow Your Own Moss
• Oregon State University: Establishing Mosses in Gardens