Re: Moss
- To:
- Subject: Re: Moss
- From: M* T*
- Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 02:10:38 -0400
Well, Karen, unless you change the environment so that it is not suitable
for moss, you will continue to have it. It appears where it can grow and
since the spore are all around, you will have a constant battle trying to
remove it....it will simply reappear until the conditions do not allow it
to flourish.
Sounds like it is a drainage issue since some moss thrives in sun or part
sun. Actually, moss will grow in all kinds of spots. I have it on piles
of solid clay soil dug out but not re-distributed (some really nice patches
there, too), as well as on parts of my gravel drive where water from an
underground drainage pipe drains out so it's always damp. It grows equally
nicely in seedpots of very loose mix, so compaction of soil is not
required....some species also grow on tree bark, either on trees or logs
and some grow on rocks. Of course, there are many, many species of moss -
all having their own requirements. But, if you're seeing slime molds, too,
I think your issue is mostly drainage. If you could improve that, you
*might* have less moss. If the soil is quite acid where the moss is
growing, you might try making it more neutral, depending on the
requirements of the plants you have growing there. Of course, if the spot
still stays damp, you could just get some other species of moss moving in.
I happen to like moss and keep moving it around, trying to get it to grow
here and there. I have found that if you want to move some, you have to
give it exactly the same kinds of conditions and sun as it had where it was
originally or it will die out on you....doesn't help you much, I know.
Since you seem to have good moss conditions, why not make a moss garden
there? Can be extremely neat...moss and ferns and other damp/woodland
loving things. Your frogs will like it:-)
BTW, I think this is highly "on topic" as moss is a perennial plant.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor: Gardening in Shade
current article:Vines - Part 5 - Ivy
http://suite101.com/welcome.cfm/222
All garden topics welcome page:
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/3425#top5
----------
> From: KAREN_STEWART@HP-UnitedKingdom-om9.om.hp.com
> Date: Sunday, October 10, 1999 5:55 PM
>
> Hi all,
>
> I have a problem with moss growing on my soil & I was wondering what
> words of wisdom you guys could offer. I think this is only a little
> off topic as the moss I get seems pretty perrenial to me. I spend
> more time picking it off the surface of a west facing bed, than I do
> weeding the normal things.
>
> I know I have a problem with drainage there, but that is not
something
> in my power to do much about, so accepting that, what can I do. The
> options need to be organic as this is the bed the frogs often
frighten
> the living daylights out of me in. It gets sun upto mid-day for
five
> months of the year, down to very little at all in the winter and is
> sheltered by the property boundary which is a six foot high wooden
> fence. Plants seem to do well here, and its well worked slightly
> heavy soil down to about two spade depths, until the compaction
takes
> over.
>
> While I know hanging basket aficionados would love such a freely
> available supply of stringy moss, I'd like less. In really wet
> winters, I occasionally see slime mould here too.
>
> Looking forward to your suggestions,
>
>
> Karen in Cheshire, UK
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
