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Moss Blender Propagation |
One of the great things about mosses is that they can regenerate from tiny pieces of themselves. You can easily propagate many mosses with a kitchen blender or food processor and create a thick "paint" that you can dab onto rocks, cracks between paving stones, soil, or rotten logs - basically anywhere mosses would like to grow naturally. Since there are many species of moss that all prefer certain growing conditions, if possible use a moss taken from rocks to cover rocks and one taken from soil to cover soil. You don't need to identify it first, but try to match up the conditions. In this demo I am using Dicranum scoparium (below) , the common rock cap or broom moss that grows abundantly on rocks throughout my property. |
In response to requests stemming from my recent segment on the Martha Stewart Show, here is the way you do it... |
To make one batch I collect: 2 cups of the moss 1 1/2 to 2 cups water 1/2 cup beer (I'm not sure if the beer does anything, but it means you can drink the rest so it doesn't go to waste. In theory the sugars in buttermilk or beer help the moss adhere at first. 1 teaspoon of sodium polyacrylate, which you can buy for use in potting soil mixes or to pre-treat bare-root plants. It is also the water-absorber in diapers, and since I have lots of these around, I cut upen one diaper to get roughly a teaspoon of the crystals (you will have to cut open the pad and peel back the cotton then shake and scrape out the sodium polyacylate (see below). This is great stuff for moss propagation becuase it helps the moss adhere to the substrate and it holds a tremendous amount of water by volume (300-600 times its weight!) Soak the crystals in a cup of warm water for 5-10 minutes until they have imbibed all the water. |
A diaper with crystals removed |
See how the 1 teasopoon of crystals has expanded into about 1 cup after soaking in the water. here I am adding the beer . The 2 cups of moss are already in. Pulse the blender for about 10 seconds to cop and mix but not puree the contents. |
2 cups of moss ready to go. This is actually a mix of three species, which I usually don't recommend ro start. |
In the prepared mix (above), the crystals give the product a gelatinous quality and the consistency guacamole so it sticks to the paintbrush. I like to use a 1-2 inch brush to apply it. |
Moss without sodium polyacrylate (above) just to show thr proper amount of chopping that preserves little peices of moss. |
A bare rock ready to paint. Spring is ideal becuase the cool weather and rains allow quick establishment, though fall is also a good time. |
(below) Once painted on the rock you can see the smal bits of moss in the damp jelly. |
Paint in lines, swaths,, circles, letters, happy faces or anything else you can think of. The moss sticks better to rocks with less than a 45 degree slope, but will adhere pretty well even to sheer rock faces. Keep the rock out in the rain and for best results mist the moss every few days for the first month when it doesn't rain. I'll go back and photograph these two rocks again in a month or so. Good Luck |