My backyard is mostly moss due to the shade from my very wooded property. Some of the moss has strong roots, but a lot of it is barely rooted. Large patches become loose and get flipped over. Is there something I can do to improve the moss growth? Can I transplant some of the good moss to the bad areas? Thanks for this great service! Tim in Clinton CT
Answer
Hi Tim,
You are lucky to have lots of moss in your yard. The large patches of moss that get flipped over is the normal way that particular moss grows...very thin sheets along the surface of the soil. It can live in areas that are dryer than the strong rooted mosses. So if you transplant some of the deeper rooted mosses, make sure the soil is a little moister so it will survive.
You can also feed the moss twice a year in the Spring and the Fall with a mixture of Buttermilk and water mixed in a ratio of 1 part Buttermilk to 8 parts water (i.e., (1) quart of Buttermilk and (2) gallons of water). The mixture can be applied using a backpack sprayer, a pump sprayer or equivalent. Buttermilk provides nutrients and a little bit of acidity to help the moss thrive.
There's a very good book that I like: "Moss Gardening: Including Lichens, Liverworts and Other Miniatures" by George Schenk (1997) that can be found online and would be helpful to you. Good Luck cultivating your moss!
View As PDF
To view a PDF of this article, please
click here.
About Linda Lillie
Linda K. Lillie is the President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc, the premier
landscape design and maintenance, tree care, lawn care, stonework, and carpentry
service provider in southeastern Connecticut since 1997. She is a graduate of
Connecticut College in Botany, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national
award winning landscape designer for her landscape design and landscape installation work.
