How to Use Sphagnum Moss

Grown in various regions across the world, sphagnum moss, which was once thought to be a useful wound dressing because of its absorptive qualities, is now considered a gardener's resource. While sphagnum or peat moss is considered a renewable resource grown in bogs, it can take 20 years, unaided, to renew. An entire harvested bog could require hundreds of years. The moss serves multiple purposes, with the top scrapings of a bog being used for orchids, houseplants and hanging baskets, while the sphagnum moss deep in the peat bog itself is often mixed with potting soil or in gardens.

Things You'll Need

• Bag or bail of moss
• Small bucket or large bowl
• Water
• Wire plant frame
• Potting soil
• Scissors
• Plants

Instructions

1. Remove the moss from the packaging and set inside your bucket or bowl. Add enough water to cover the moss. Allow the moss to sit for 30 minutes.

2. Set your plant frame outside or on a protected surface. Grab handfuls of moss at a time and squeeze out some of the excess water. Start at the bottom and pack the moss into the frame's shape.

3. Continue to add moss, portions at a time, until the plant frame is completely lined. It is helpful to use one hand to pack the moss from the inside and the other hand on the outside to give you something to press the moss against.

4. Fill the pot with potting soil just to the top of the liner. Use scissors to gently clip stray pieces of moss from the outside of the pot to give it a more finished look.

5. Add any annuals or perennials to the planter as you wish. The moss will help hold moisture for the plant and creates a natural look for your hanging or deck-mounted planters.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also incorporate the moss around houseplants as a mulch to retain moisture around the plant, allowing more time to pass between watering. For orchids, simply wrap moss strands around the roots before you plant. As a soil amendment, mix the peat moss with your garden soil as you turn it. If your soil is particularly sandy, you may need a large quantity. While the moss doesn't have nutrients of its own, it can release nutrients it has absorbed, so mixing in compost or other organic matter can give the moss nutrients that it will hold. Peat moss added to the garden keeps the soil moist and well aerated.

References

• How to make a moss liner
• How to use moss

Resources

• A history of sphagnum moss