Miniture Moss Garden???

[GardenerX]

Hey Everyone

ok so first of all I've been looking at some stuff online and I found some things about Chinese Moss Gardens, I love the fact that Chinese use them and me being new to Bonsai I would love to have me a MINI MOSS GARDEN so does anyone know a way to grow moss I have soil and a pot and everything picked out for show. I just need MOSS.......

[GardenerX]

ok guys I found a way to produce Moss so if you want to make a moss garden here's how you do it:

1: you take some moss from your yard or a tree somewhere, make sure if it's a tree not in your yard your aloud to take the Moss from it.

2: get some water

3: put the Moss in a blender and fill the blender about half way with water.

4: blend it untill it's nice and pastey looking.

5: poor it where you want it to grow then water it after it drys.

also you can shape it when it's still wet, take a popsickle stick or even your finger and just push it around to where you want it.....

I'm makeing two mini Moss Gardens I made this concauction around four O'clock yesterday and poored and shaped it in my pots and it's already growing......

[webmaster]

Wow, never heard of that. I've been collecting it and just setting it down on soil in a small pot, piecing the various moss pieces together and they just blend in. Then I throw on a couple rocks on top and instant moss garden. I give them a light misting now and then. Moss is fun to play around with.

[mrsgreenthumbs]

Iv tried that method and I suggest taking a thin material and covering the blended mix with it then misting till it's rather damp. The moss your blending is mainly for the spores. It's like seedlings it takes TONS of care. Every time I tried this method it dried up and died. Example:

Here's the moss before I blended it. I harvested this moss after a late rain we had at my work.
[img]https://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c388/queenofdabbws/moss.jpg[/img]

One of the garden's I made
[img]https://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c388/queenofdabbws/mossgarden3.jpg[/img]

And another...
[img]https://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c388/queenofdabbws/mossgarden2.jpg[/img]

and one more
[img]https://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c388/queenofdabbws/mossgarden1.jpg[/img]

they all died except for the moss that was left over. I left that in soil that had NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE. I can't stress this enough. Moss has a very sensitive root system and get's most of it's nutrients from the air or sun but not really from the root's. Keep it out of direct sun. and keep it moist preferably with dechlorinated water. My left over moss has not only survived but grown and bloomed. (yes moss blooms) I suggest trying another pot with dumpy soil and just a few patches of moss. Try to gather the soil under it too and simply press it down into the pot and keep moist.

[mrsgreenthumbs]

Oh and your supposed to add either butter milk or beer (DO NOT ADD BEER) to your blended mix. I suggest butter milk if you must blend it.

[GardenerX]

thx so much for yuur reply.