Many Gardeners "Age" Planters
By Encouraging The Growth Of Moss

How to grow moss on your garden pottery, clay, terra cotta, concrete or hypertufa planters and the like is not at all difficult. You'll see by the following concoctions that all ingredients are readily available and the process is quite simple.

There are other recipes for growing moss that I have come across, but will not list them here as one or more of the ingredients are not something most of us readily have on hand. And there is no indication that these more involved techniques produce results any quicker than the ones I've listed here.

I've collected these "how to grow moss recipes" over the years and am pleased to share them with you.

**NOTE: These recipes are to be made in a blender. If you do not have a blender, do your best to thoroughly mash and pulverize the moss particles into a thick, soupy liquid mixture.

Repeat these steps for each of the liquid ingredients listed:

1. Gather a clump of moss (remove as much dirt from the moss as possible).
2. Add moss into a blender (a good ratio is 1 part moss to 4 parts liquid).
3. Add LIQUID INGREDIENT (see options listed below). **You only need to use enough to allow the blender to blend everything. It should end up as a very thick "soup".
4. Blend thoroughly to pulverize the moss.
5. Spread the soupy mixture onto your object with a brush wherever you want the moss to grow. Or use your hands to "pat-pat" the gloppy mixture onto your container. I think the hand technique is the easiest and works great! ;-)

Liquid Ingredient Options

• One can of beer + 1 tsp - 2 tsp sugar: or
• 1 cup buttermilk; or
• 1 cup yogurt

Moss "Accelerant" Recipe ... Maybe, Maybe Not

I've seen mention over the years where gardeners have been successful at accelerating the growth of moss by using a blend of honey and vinegar. As I have not personally tried this one, I will assume that the ratio of honey is much less than the vinegar. All I can say is experiment and see what happens, if you are so inclined.

Moss grows best in shady locations. Think about where you would find moss in a natural setting - normally in a shady, cool-ish and damp location, right? Like the woods, or by shady areas next to a stream; or under a tree where it is shaded, damp and cool. Blazing hot locations are not the place where we would find moss! So think about this when you are deciding where to set your item to begin the "growing" process.

After you have applied your mixture to the item, place it in your specially chosen nice cool, shaded area. You'll need to keep an eye on it and mist it often enough to keep it slightly damp. Again, just think about how moss grows in the wild. It is found in damp, shaded spots.

Additional Comments

With any of the above recipes, nothing is so "set in cement" that a slight variance here or there will make much of a difference. This is not rocket science! Mix up the quantity you'll need following the ratios given a closely as possible.

Let me say it one last time! The important thing is to keep your item in a shady and cool spot and to MIST it regularly. Then, PATIENCE is a must as moss grows very slowly. It may take a few months to over a year for moss to begin growing.

And you know, it's not just hypertufa or concrete garden containers or clay pots that you can add moss to. There are so many wonderful ways you can utilize this technique. Think about this ... you can even encourage moss to grow on stones, rocks, even your garden walls! You can really help Mother Nature along by using this technique if you want lots of mossy areas or items in your garden.

I wish you fun and the best of luck with this 'how to grow moss' project.

These three projects would be perfect to grown moss on. Please take a moment to check them out :-)

• Trough Project
• Hollow Garden Spheres: Project Instructions
• How to Make a Terra Cotta Pot Person

To easily view ALL the projects and how-tos I've got to share with you, please go to my Site Map and take a look. You might just find a few things that catch your eye.
Your garden will thank you! Site Map