Bonsai Growing Guides
Care of Bonsai Moss |
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Any moss that is gathered outdoors here in Maine is a temperate climate plant, just like all the other outdoor trees and plants native to Maine. A temperate climate is one with four seasons: spring summer, fall and winter.
Native moss requires this change in the seasons and a cool to cold winter rest period to stay happy over the long term. Native mosses are best grown either outdoors or, if grown indoors, in a place where the night temperature gets between 30-50F from late fall to early spring.
If moss gets stressed, usually too dry or too warm, for an extended period of time (like in a heated indoor environment) it will go dormant and turn brown. It is not dead - just waiting for environmental conditions to become favorable before resuming its growth.
Mosses are primitive plants with not very well developed root systems and derive a lot of their moisture requirements from humidity in the air. Frequent misting to keep moist (not soaking wet) will help keep them green and happy.
Since native Maine mosses are temperate plants, they tend to do much better when planted under temperate bonsai which are grown outdoors. Moss most often goes dormant on subtropical and tropical bonsai that are grown indoors all year. Building interiors during the heating season have humidities that are too low and temperatures that are too constant for native mosses to thrive.
Dormant mosses will almost always green up and begin growing if put outdoors - try growing your tropical tree outdoors during the summer. Not only will the moss, green up and begin to grow if it has become brown and dormant; your tree will love it as well. Just wait until the average night temperature is at least 50-55F before putting your tropical bonsai outdoors. Place the tree in a location that gets either several hours of morning light (an eastern location) or under filtered light (under a deciduous shade tree).
There are hundreds of species of moss and each has its own microclimate that it prefers. Each species is very specific as to where (and on what) it grows. When looking for moss to transplant, try to duplicate the material the moss is growing on naturally in its new environment. Soil (the same type and texture), rotting wood and rocks all favor different moss species.
When transplanting moss to bonsai, gather the native moss at a time of year when it is green and growing: spring and autumn are best. Peel the moss away from the material it is growing on and keep it moist and in the shade until it will be used.
Just before transplanting onto a bonsai pot, mist it heavily until it is soft an saturated. Wet moss will conform to the contours of the soil much better than stiff, dry moss. Cut the moss to its approximate shape with scissors or shears and scrape away any surplus soil from the bottom of the moss. Moss needs only 1/4 - 1/2" of original soil under it to transplant successfully around your bonsai.
One large piece of moss is easier to work with and establishes more quickly than a patchwork of small pieces. Lay the moss out on the soil and gently press on it to insure good soil contact. Mist it well again and finish you bonsai landscape with rocks, gravel and whatever else is needed to give the landscape a finished, natural appearance. It is that easy.
In a nutshell, moss likes cool, moist conditions, growing on the same type of material you found it growing on. The closer you can duplicate these conditions, the happier and longer lived your moss will be. As an alternative, plan on replacing the moss, if it becomes brown and dormant, with fresh green moss.
Always remember, your aim is to grow a happy and healthy bonsai, not a pot of moss. Moss is just the icing on the bonsai landscape cake. Moss is much easier to replace than your bonsai.
For more information regarding mosses, visit our links page for sites devoted to moss.
Good luck in all your botanical endeavors and Happy Gardening.
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