Subject: Anyone there who secretly LIKES moss?

From: [email-masked] (Tim Holt)
Date: 5 Apr 1995 01:16:36 GMT

Most every book you see in garden sections tells you how to KILL moss,
but I'm actually eager for it to continue growing in my trad. Japanese
garden.  Any other secret fans of moss out there in rec.gardening?

              |   ||        Tim Holt / Marine Technician / RV Wecoma
+--==o_____+-/|--+||        College of Oceanography / Oregon State
_____|  R/V WECOMA  ~-----/ Corvallis, OR USA, 97331-5503	(503)737-4447
+------------------------'  [email-masked]	
							http://lubber.oce.orst.edu/Wecoma/WecomaHome.html

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From: [email-masked] (Donna Maroni)
Date: 6 Apr 1995 13:31:15 GMT

I love moss.  Don't make a practice of growing it, but I'm very happy to
have it whereever it chooses to come along.  Of course you know that
people go to great lengths to get moss growing on rocks, garden ornaments,
etc. (make slurry of moss and buttermilk in a blender and 'plant' where
desired).  Lucky you, to be living where moss gardening and moss lawns are
a real possibility.  I think there are a couple of places in the NW that
sell moss inoculum; I believe I read about them in one of the bonsai
newsgroups. 

Tim Holt ([email-masked]) wrote: 

>...Any other secret fans of moss out there in rec.gardening? 

:               |   ||        Tim Holt / Marine Technician / RV Wecoma
: +--==o_____+-/|--+||        College of Oceanography / Oregon State
: _____|  R/V WECOMA  ~-----/ Corvallis, OR USA, 97331-5503	(503)737-4447
: +------------------------'  [email-masked]	
: 							http://lubber.oce.orst.edu/Wecoma/WecomaHome.html

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From: [email-masked] (Rudy Willis)
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 14:56:09 GMT

M agnificient
O rgranic
S pongy
S tuff

Thank you very much,
Rudy

--
>From the home of:
Rudy & Dafni Willis
and the dogs: Joey, Rosie, and James
==============================
      Boys will be boys, and so will a lot of middle-aged men.

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From: [email-masked] (Allyn Weaks)
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 1995 02:01:24 -0800

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Tim

> garden.  Any other secret fans of moss out there in rec.gardening?

I love moss, and not so secretively.  The neighbors think I'm nuts, but
are tolerant.  So far I'm letting the native bent leaf moss take over the
back lawn (too sunny and dry in front).  When I get more time I'll start
hunting out some of the other nice natives around here.  Lovely and cushy
to walk on, and even with just the one species, there's a relaxing color
variety to make a change from boring grass green.
-- 
Allyn Weaks
[email-masked]

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From: Susan Sanders <[email-masked]>
Date: 5 Apr 1995 14:29:28 GMT

>garden.  Any other secret fans of moss out there in rec.gardening?

I think it's beautiful and there's no secret about it.           -Sue
Sanders

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From: [email-masked] (Donna Maroni)
Date: 6 Apr 1995 13:31:15 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Rudy Willis)
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 14:56:09 GMT

M agnificient
O rgranic
S pongy
S tuff

Thank you very much,
Rudy

--
Rudy & Dafni Willis

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From: [email-masked] (Allyn Weaks)
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 1995 02:01:24 -0800

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From: Susan Sanders <[email-masked]>
Date: 5 Apr 1995 14:29:28 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Donna Maroni)
Date: 6 Apr 1995 13:31:15 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Rudy Willis)
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 14:56:09 GMT

M agnificient
O rgranic
S pongy
S tuff

Thank you very much,
Rudy

--
Rudy & Dafni Willis

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From: [email-masked] (Allyn Weaks)
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 1995 02:01:24 -0800

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From: Susan Sanders <[email-masked]>
Date: 5 Apr 1995 14:29:28 GMT

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From: J. A. Stiller <[email-masked]>
Date: 6 Apr 1995 01:36:21 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> Tim Holt,
[email-masked] writes:
>  Any other secret fans of moss out there in rec.gardening?
>
Moss is beautiful, and there are places I encourage it to grow by pouring
spoiled milk.  It does have one problem, though.  A moss garden
Japanese-style is very high-maintenance.  Every tree and shrub within ten
blocks seems to send its seeds there to sprout. 
Jenny in Haverford, PA

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From: [email-masked] (BillsDone)
Date: 5 Apr 1995 17:28:24 -0400

BIG moss fan here in tennessee...wife and i go out in woods to look for
new varieties to add to our yard.   

bills done, but newt's a hoot

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From: [email-masked] (Jill Milburn)
Date: 10 Apr 1995 19:46:17 GMT

The little areas of moss that grow on the brickwork on the path to our 
front door are the best part of winter.  I am always sad to see it go 
when the weather turns dry and warm again.

Jill Milburn  - Sunset Zone 21 in the foothills   
[email-masked]   or  [email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Dave)
Date: 6 Apr 1995 15:56:04 GMT

Yes ! I even try to grow moss where I can. Fine Gardening or Horticulture
had an article about moss gardening several years back. A simple method
of moss propagation is to put a bit of sporulating moss into a container
with some milk, shake it all about and pour the mixture onto an appropriate
area. Does seem to work.

Dave
Vancouver, BC

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From: [email-masked] (Martha Frost)
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 22:01:28 PST

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Tim Holt) writes:
>From: [email-masked] (Tim Holt)
>Subject: Anyone there who secretly LIKES moss?
>Date: 5 Apr 1995 01:16:36 GMT

>garden.  Any other secret fans of moss out there in rec.gardening?

It's no secret to my over-tidy neighbor! It grows on the north side of his 
retaining wall, which is my side, and I like it just fine. The summer is hot 
enough to keep it in bounds, it never gets slimy or widespread. My neighbor is 
98 years old, orders his hired gardener around while he struts with a weed 
digger under his armpit like a martinet with a riding crop. His wife trims the 
"excessive overhang" of iceplant with scissors. They cannot understand why I 
like the moss. I had the opportunity to visit a forest in Japan called 
something like "White Pony Lake" forest. It was so beautiful--there 
were very old cedars with gnarled roots covered in moss, and white fluffy snow 
covering parts of the moss! The moss was about 1 foot thick and mounded over 
the trunk roots. The moss garden in Kyoto was not doing well when I visited, 
but pictures of it showed the same mounding characteristic.
Regards, Martha
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] [Maura O'Neill]
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 1995 06:28:49 GMT

i love moss, always have. I have a rock in my fountain i found in a creek, which
has moss on it (dies back in the hot summer, but always grows back) and in the 
winter here, it grows on the rocks in my garden, the ground in some spots, on 
the roof -it always dies back in the hot summer, but always comes back in the 
winter-i think it is beautiful, soft, and the colors and textures are 
incredible! It may be hurting my roof -but it's old anyways... it's like a 
little bit of walking in the woods always around...
 -Maura

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From: [email-masked] (Edward Cheung)
Date: 10 Apr 1995 13:29:29 GMT

>but I'm actually eager for it to continue growing in my trad. Japanese

Same here.  I have seen people in this forum hint that pouring sour
milk over an area will encourage moss.  Can anyone confirm this?

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From: [email-masked] (CLNichols)
Date: 5 Apr 1995 23:40:35 -0400

I just bought a house and the shady mossy portion of the back yard was a
plus.

Cindy

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From: [email-masked] (Nancy Hammond)
Date: 10 Apr 1995 16:27:30 -0400

Edward Cheung ([email-masked]) wrote:
: I have seen people in this forum hint that pouring sour
: milk over an area will encourage moss.  Can anyone confirm this?

I have read the following recipe for growing moss (unfortunately can't
remember the name of the book)

Take some moss.  Put in a blender with some buttermilk (I guess sour 
milk would work too).  Blend.  Smear in area where moss is desired.

Supposedly the moss spores go wild in the buttermilk.

I haven't tried this yet, but someday when I have the woodland
garden of my dreams . . .

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From: Donald Kackman <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 9 Apr 1995 23:31:33 GMT

I love moss. It grows in the shadier places around my house and makes
a nice green accent against the stonework. It also is great in my terrarium AND 
is a great background for dried flower wreaths.

How can you not like moss?

Don Kackman

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From: [email-masked] (Catherine Dobbins M.D.)
Date: 14 Apr 1995 21:56:10 -0700

In rec.gardens [email-masked]  [Maura O'Neill] said: 

>i love moss, always have. I have a rock in my fountain i found in a  
--...................................... 
 
I tried the technique of putting moss in a blender and mixing it with
yougurt (plain) then smearing it on the areas I wanted to encourage growth.
 So far (about 1 mo) I haven't been able to tell that  it has been any more
successful than just keeping the area really moist.  Don't know if
buttermilk would have been more successful or not.  I thought the culture
and acidity of the yougurt would be a plus, but not sure....               
                                                 Catherine 
M.C. Dobbins, M.D. 
Hillsborough, CA 
[email-masked]

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From: "[email-masked]" <Catherine.Calhoun>
Date: 13 Apr 1995 15:30:52 GMT

> milk over an area will encourage moss.  Can anyone confirm this?

Yes. I think you're referring to a "moss milkshake". I'll have to
dig out the exact ingredients, but I remember it contains buttermilk,
moss, and a couple of other things. The idea is you combine these
ingredients, puree them in your blender and they come out looking
like latex paint. You can "paint" your rocks or rock walls and the
moss will grow. A couple of the ingredients (which, of course, I 
can't remember) make the mixture adhere, the moss is the "seedling"
for more growth, and the buttermilk feeds the moss until it is
fully developed. It's all organic and works like a charm. Now, if
only I could remember all the ingredients. 

I'll get back to you.

Catherine

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From: [email-masked] (Catherine Dobbins M.D.)
Date: 14 Apr 1995 21:56:10 -0700

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From: "[email-masked]" <Catherine.Calhoun>
Date: 13 Apr 1995 15:30:52 GMT

I'll get back to you.

Catherine