How to Grow Moss in Your Backyard

Growing moss is the perfect alternative to having a high-maintenance lawn that requires constant attention.  Moss provides lush, green ground cover that never needs cut and only needs occasional watering once the plant is mature.

Preparing your backyard for planting moss is relatively simple with little elbow grease.  It is most important to prep your soil, plant any complimentary vegetation before the moss and provide a moist environment with plenty of sunlight.

Prepping Soil

Before planting moss on your landscape, all debris and dead vegetation must be removed.  An effective method to even things out is to use a stiff rake and a coal shovel to pick up tiny rocks and unwanted materials that could keep moss from growing.

Divits and tiny indents in the soil can also be hazardous to the growth of moss.   Water can collect in these areas, killing the vegetation.  Once you have the debris away from the area where the new moss will reside, take a look at any vertical surfaces that the moss may meet.  If you plan to have your moss grow up a tree, for example, be sure gradually to increase the grade of the soil leading up to the tree.  When meeting a vertical surface, moss tends to stop growing so it is necessary to create a 'hill' effect leading up to the surface.

Plant Additional Plants First

Seedlings will not be able to grow under a thick bed of moss, so it is important to plant them ahead of time.  Annuals or perennials make great additions to any moss bed, so feel free to experiment with colors.

To make things easier on yourself, try getting mature flowers to plant along with your moss.

Growth Rate

There are many different types of moss and all of them take some patients to develop.  Pleurocarp moss types can double in size in only 6 months, depending on the level of care and attention.  When planting moss you need to space out everything using tiny pieces.  These will eventually grow together to form a beautiful carpet of moss across your landscape.

How to Water Moss

Moss requires a moist, sunlight rich environment to thrive.  When you first start growing moss, water everything daily for the first two months to promote optimum growth.  After that, water the moss every three days for the third month.

The watering eventually tapers off as the moss continues to grow, so months four and five it is only necessary to water weekly and monthly.

If you are tired of mowing your lawn and constantly landscaping, moss is an alternative that may be best for your backyard.

Before choosing the vegetation for your backyard landscape, try contacting a nursery specializing in moss for tips and advice on your next project.