Editing Moss (section)

==Cultivation==
[[File:500px photo (189849595).jpeg|thumb|A moss lawn in a temple garden in [[Kyoto]], Japan]]
[[File:Moss Garden, Bloedel Reserve.jpg|thumb|The moss garden at the Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island, Washington State.]]
{{main|Moss lawn}}

Moss is often considered a [[weed]] in grass lawns, but is deliberately encouraged to grow under aesthetic principles exemplified by [[Japanese garden]]ing. In old temple gardens, moss can carpet a forest scene. Moss is thought to add a sense of calm, age, and stillness to a garden scene. Moss is also used in [[bonsai]] to cover the soil and enhance the impression of age.<ref>{{cite book|last=Chan|first=Peter|title=Bonsai Masterclass|year=1993|publisher=Sterling Publishing Co.|location=New York City|isbn=978-0-8069-6763-9}}</ref> Rules of cultivation are not widely established. Moss collections are quite often begun using samples transplanted from the wild in a water-retaining bag. Some species of moss can be extremely difficult to maintain away from their natural sites with their unique requirements of combinations of light, humidity, substrate chemistry, shelter from wind, etc.

Growing moss from spores is even less controlled. Moss spores fall in a constant rain on exposed surfaces; those surfaces which are hospitable to a certain species of moss will typically be colonised by that moss within a few years of exposure to wind and rain. Materials which are porous and moisture retentive, such as [[brick]], [[wood]], and certain coarse concrete mixtures, are hospitable to moss. Surfaces can also be prepared with acidic substances, including [[buttermilk]], [[yogurt]], [[urine]], and gently puréed mixtures of moss samples, water and [[ericaceous compost]].

In the cool, humid, cloudy [[Pacific Northwest]], moss is sometimes allowed to grow naturally as a [[moss lawn]], one that needs little or no mowing, fertilizing or watering. In this case, grass is considered to be the weed.<ref name="problem solver">{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Sally W.|title=Sunset Western Garden Problem Solver|year=1998|publisher=Sunset Books|location=Menlo Park, California|isbn=978-0-376-06132-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/westerngardenpro00suns}}</ref> Landscapers in the Seattle area sometimes collect boulders and downed logs growing mosses for installation in gardens and landscapes. Woodland gardens in many parts of the world can include a carpet of natural mosses.<ref name=moss /> The [[Bloedel Reserve]] on Bainbridge Island, Washington State, is famous for its moss garden. The moss garden was created by removing shrubby underbrush and herbaceous groundcovers, thinning trees, and allowing mosses to fill in naturally.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Bloedel Reserve|url=http://www.bloedelreserve.org/|access-date=24 April 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110416035711/http://www.bloedelreserve.org/|archive-date=16 April 2011}}</ref>

=== Green roofs and walls ===
[[File:Green Roof - geograph.org.uk - 544737.jpg|thumb|Red moss, possibly ''[[Ceratodon purpureus]]'', cultivated on a [[green roof]]]]
Mosses are sometimes used in [[green roof]]s. Advantages of mosses over higher plants in green roofs include reduced weight loads, increased water absorption, no fertilizer requirements, and high drought tolerance. Since mosses do not have true roots, they require less planting medium than higher plants with extensive root systems. With proper species selection for the local climate, mosses in green roofs require no irrigation once established and are low maintenance.<ref>{{cite web|title=RoofTopGarden|url=http://rooftopgarden.com/category/green-roof/|access-date=22 May 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424045647/http://rooftopgarden.com/category/green-roof/|archive-date=24 April 2011}}</ref> Mosses are also used on [[green wall]]s.

=== Mossery ===
A passing fad for moss-collecting in the late 19th century led to the establishment of mosseries in many British and American gardens. The mossery is typically constructed out of slatted wood, with a flat roof, open to the north side (maintaining shade). Samples of moss were installed in the cracks between wood slats. The whole mossery would then be regularly moistened to maintain growth.

=== Aquascaping ===
[[Aquascaping]] uses many aquatic mosses. They do best at low nutrient, light, and heat levels, and propagate fairly readily. They help maintain a water chemistry suitable for aquarium fish.<ref name=aquascaping>{{cite web |title=A Guide to Keeping and Growing Aquatic Moss |url=https://aquascapinglove.com/basics/guide-keeping-growing-aquatic-moss/ |website=Aquascaping Love |date=12 April 2016}}</ref> They grow more slowly than many aquarium plants, and are fairly hardy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mosses |url=https://www.aquasabi.com/aquascaping-wiki_aquatic-plants_mosses |website=www.aquasabi.com |language=en}}</ref>

===Growth inhibition===
Moss can be a troublesome weed in containerized nursery operations and greenhouses.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Haglund|first=William A.|author2=Russell and Holland|title=Moss Control in Container-Grown Conifer Seedlings|journal=Tree Planter's Notes(USFS)|date=Summer 1981|volume=32|issue=3|pages=27–29|url=http://www.rngr.net/publications/tpn/32-3/32_3_27_29.pdf|access-date=24 April 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719113102/http://www.rngr.net/publications/tpn/32-3/32_3_27_29.pdf|archive-date=19 July 2011}}</ref> Vigorous moss growth can inhibit seedling emergence and penetration of water and fertilizer to the plant roots.

Moss growth can be inhibited by a number of methods:
* Decreasing availability of [[water]] through [[drainage]].
* Increasing direct sunlight.
* Increasing number and resources available for competitive plants like [[grass]]es.
* Increasing the [[soil pH]] with the application of [[Lime (mineral)|lime]].
* Heavy traffic or manually disturbing the moss bed with a rake
* Application of chemicals such as [[ferrous sulfate]] (e.g., in lawns) or bleach (e.g., on solid surfaces).
* In containerized nursery operations, coarse mineral materials such as sand, gravel, and rock chips are used as a fast-draining top dressing in plant containers to discourage moss growth.

The application of products containing ferrous sulfate or [[ferrous ammonium sulfate]] will kill moss; these ingredients are typically in commercial moss control products and [[fertilizer]]s. [[Sulfur]] and [[iron]] are [[essential nutrient]]s for some competing plants like grasses. Killing moss will not prevent regrowth unless conditions favorable to their growth are changed.<ref>{{cite web
 |author1     = Steve Whitcher
 |author2     = Master Gardener
 |title       = Moss Control in Lawns
 |work        = Gardening in Western Washington
 |publisher   = Washington State University
 |year        = 1996
 |url         = http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/lawn003/lawn003.htm
 |access-date  = 2007-02-10
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070205225446/http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/lawn003/lawn003.htm
 |archive-date = 2007-02-05
}}</ref>