I am seeking an advice on planting moss into the container (It will be outside, some of it on full sun, some of it in partial shade). I know about the gravel for drainage and the fact that you should use a well drained soil. I am not sure if I need to have an activated carbon / lump wood charcoal layer also. I know that you need it inside, but not sure if I need it outside?
Good evening Marko and welcome to the forum. For me there are 4 golden rules for growing moss. 1 Moisture 2 Shade 3 Acidic soil 4 Compacted soil. Now I see you have said it will be in full sun, moss does not like this. Look at where moss grows well, dank shady areas, not full sun. Next you have heared of Peat moss, now that is acidic, so again good for growth. Lastly compaction, moss likes to be constantly damp but not under water. So very often it grows well on heavy clay soil that holds onto the moisture. A loose well drained substrate is not ideal IMO. There is no magic formula, just the right conditions.
Hi D, I question rule No.2. Most of the moss in our yard is full sun. As long as you have the other 3 rules fulfilled, you are golden... Moisture is the most important.
If you saw the roof of our south-facing house, you'd know that at least some types of moss are perfectly happy to grow in the sun . . . and with less moisture than you'd think necessary.
Good morming N and Margot, yes I agree totally, I have some that does OK in the sun, but was probably generalising a little too much regarding rule 2. Well pointed out.
I thought would post a photo of the moss that I grow to decorate my maples in pots (surface area). It's all kindly given to me by friends and neighbours from their gardens, so nothing is removed from wild sources. As can be seen, 'all different'. I use seed trays filled with loose soil, grit and rotting bark. I keep it in a shady damp are of my garden. It does have to be moved around in the Summer to get the optimum conditions. Hope this is of some help.
