How to Add Irish Moss
Irish moss isn't actually a moss at all. A herbaceous perennial, Irish moss produces small white flowers in late spring and early summer. Adding Irish moss to your landscaping as a ground cover adds both textural and chromatic dimension to your garden design. Use Irish moss to fill in between stone pathways, in the spaces between stones in rock gardens or as ground cover around larger plants in edging beds. Irish moss can be finicky, so proper cultural practices must be followed for it to flourish. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Choose a well-drained area that receives afternoon sun. Break up the soil between rocks with a hand cultivator or till beds to a 6-inch depth with a hoe.
-
2
Lay a 2-inch layer of compost over the planting area to add organic matter. Till it in with the hand cultivator or how.
-
-
3
Sow Irish moss plugs 6 inches apart. Stagger rows in bed plantings to they fill in more quickly. Sow each plug so the crown of the plant -- the part that emerges from the roots -- is just above the soil surface.
-
4
Keep the soil moist at all times but not soggy, since this leads to crown rot. Water as needed to maintain moisture, especially until the plants become established.
-
5
Weed regularly until the moss fills in the planting area. Take care not to disturb the Irish moss or damage the plant crowns when weeding.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Irish moss handles light foot traffic. Avoid planting where it receives heavy foot traffic.
Irish moss only requires four hours of direct sun a day, making it suitable for shadier ares of the garden.
Irish moss survives temperatures down to -30 F, making it suitable for far north gardeners.
Slugs kill Irish moss. Treat slug problems immediately with an organic or chemical slug control.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images
