Hi all,
Truly newbie question. Is there anything problematic about using preserved moss on Bonsai if it is just for show?
Thanks in advance,
David
I would be leery about using preserved moss on bonsai or any other live plant. The preservatives are designed to prevent decomposition which is normally carried out by fungi and bacteria. Those preservatives will undoubtably leach out into the soil when watering and kill the fungi and bacteria in the soil - the microbiome that our bonsai rely upon for good health.
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Agree with what @MartyWeiser said but never would have understood it well enough to put it so well..Also I would be willing to go out on a limb and say the live moss will actually be improving the relationship of the soil microbiome ā¦along with giving you a decent ātime to waterā indicatorā as a true newbie
The āMirai top dressingā of Sphagnum and dried moss works amazingly well. Especially after repotting with inorganic bonsai soil mix. Spring weather amplifies the growth!
The video is in the library under repotting procedures.
Grind or wet chop the āNew Zealand Sphagnumā into ~1/2 chunks. (WEAR A MASK). Mix in a equal part dried green moss (live sporesā¦). Sprinkle on soil surface. Tuck the sphagnum in place with a pointy chopstick pokes. This holds the moss in place so it doesnāt wash off easily.
I add a few ālittle finger size chunksā of live moss as well, poked into the soil.
The combination WILL grow a moss cover in about a month (in spring conditionsā¦) This looks WAY more natural than laying live moss onto the soil.
BTW, there ARE more than a few moss speciesā¦ that have different growth and colour habits. Pick and propagate the ones you like. I grow trays of mossā¦ for overlaying trees for show.
Later in the summer, you WILL have to pull the aggressive moss growth apart; or, when repotting, save the mossā¦ Throw these chunks into a bin to dry, for next yearās top dressing.
I can tell which trees have a greatly active soil micro-biom by the lush (or lack of) moss cover.
Moss is easy to grow and collect.
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Hope this helps.
Bonsai On!
K
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Hi Kurt,
Do you recommend buying live moss spores rather than grinding, and if so, are their any dealers in live moss spores youād recommend.
Thanks,
David
You could buy. It will be (randomly) the same LIVE spores found in a local collected sampling. I have only seen it advertised in bonsai mags. Sometimes online bonsai sale websites.
Collecting moss is freeā¦You probably only need a quart baggie to start. Go out your front door in late spring, moss will be growing everywhere. See photo above, it is just wind blown dirt on concrete ā¦ Choose the shorter tighter greener moss. Light yellow and olive mosses, too. Steer clear of the longer stringy types. Dry and store. Rub the chunks of dried moss over a screen, or just between your hands. They break up easily. The spores WILL grow new colonies in a month or two. Be aware, watered and fertilized, the moss WILL over run the pot by the summers end. For show, keep the moss off of the tree trunk, and maybe only filling 60% of the pot.
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If you are talking about tree trunk lichen, it is doable. You only need several thumb sized chunks.Collect what will grow on your tree species, dry, rub into a powder and gently rub it into the treeās trunk crevices. Spray water gently to start. I have it growing on decideous and evergreens. Slow as a glacier to grow, though. I suspect most of mine have blow in and colonized naturally.
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American Southern tree Spanish moss (Tillandsia sp) is a epiyphatic bromeliad. Takes years in the right environment to grow.
Reindeer moss is actually a symbiotic fungus / algae that looks like a lichen.
BTW, New Zealand dried moss is just a uber- long species that grows in bogs. Kinda like Irish peat mossā¦
TMI?
Bonsai On!
K
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No such thing as TMI when it comes to Bonsai. Thank you.
David
I like to use a dedicated chefās knife and cutting board to dice both the green and live sphagnum moss when they are damp and then sieving for size. I find it easier than trying to grind it through and screen and there is far less dust kicked up so I donāt need to wear a good dust mask the entire time. Plus the damp moss mix sometimes starts to grow in storage and is less dusty to spread on top the bonsai pot.
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Iāve always had better luck getting a moss local to my environment/similar growing conditions as my trees. It seems to grow better. The best for me seems to be moss that grows in a sunny carpark near me by the beach.