# growing moss



## Guest (May 23, 2005)

are there any bad effects when growing moss, using milk and a blender. Would it grow bad fungi and bacteria or does it just need time to cure.


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## Guest (May 24, 2005)

*moss*

I wouldnt do that it will end up souring and smelling like total caca.Try making your own substrate.
1.Take some oak or magnolia leaves and shred them.
2.Mix in equal amounts Tree fern fiber,coco husks,compost 
3.Keep mixture moist and put moss on top 
The moss will do the rest
Side note if you can find your own leaf litter clean source of course then have at it.
later :shock:


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## Guest (May 24, 2005)

I wasnt planning to pour milk in vivarium. I was planning to coat large rocks and driftwood with a thin layer of it, let it sit untill it dries then place it in a high-humidity container with compact flourescents directed at it. weeks (or months) later I would have placed it in my viv's. I should have been more detailed..

As for substrate I do use leaflitter (oak and apple) with all my poison frogs, as for my mantella I simply use java moss.

If there is a better way to grow moss on rock and wood please let me know.


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## Ryan (Feb 18, 2004)

Its buttermilk you use, not plain milk.

Ryan


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## josh_r (Feb 4, 2005)

if you dont want to use the buttermilk method, you just have to be patient. moss with grow in your viv eventually if given proper climate.


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## Guest (May 24, 2005)

well, now I know. Its been 6 yrs. since we did the expiriment all I really remember is blending milk (I guess it was buttermilk) and moss tossed it on the ground behing our classroom then having cereal. months later it grew, I thought I could use this method with pillowmoss or frogmoss. I think ill give it a shot and hope it works (no where near my frogs though).

Thanks for the input


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## doncoyote (Apr 20, 2005)

A different moss recipe -> http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7022


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## Guest (May 24, 2005)

sweet, 

is there any cure-time for this method.


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## Guest (May 24, 2005)

I've had better luck with water left over after boiling rice. The buttermilk and beer methods always tend to grow a layer of white mold for the first week or two. I'm still gearing up for a vivarium, but it works by the window.


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## TopGunJags01 (Jul 31, 2004)

thats really cool.....


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## Guest (May 25, 2005)

how long before you can put that moss in your viv


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## Guest (May 25, 2005)

Only as long as it takes me to get one :lol: This has been growing for about two years and for the past year I've only been adding water to the tray...no misting or supplements. If you wanted to start from scratch I would think it would take 3-4 months before you have something suitable for transplanting into your vivarium.


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## elmoisfive (Dec 31, 2004)

Frawgz said:


> I've had better luck with water left over after boiling rice.


Makes a lot of sense. The water will be loaded with materials leached out of the rice during boiling but not at the level provided by beer or buttermilk. It would make for a rich but not too rich mix. I suppose that one could get similar results from water used in boiling pasta (might be a bit too oily though).

Neat suggestion. A reminder of how you can pick up useful tidbits on this forum. Thanks for sharing.

Bill


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## Guest (May 25, 2005)

Good point, Bill. Yes, I think the dilution is the key but it might also have something to do with the type of carbs. Pasta water would probably be just as good. The moss feeds on the carbs. I think the buttermilk has traditionally been used simply because it has high carbs and a lower pH. I'm happy to finally be able to contribute something...I've been leaching all the great info from this site for quite a while. I can't wait to get my own setup.


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## Guest (May 27, 2005)

I am not sure about tropical moss but I think this will be applicable. When I am trying to encourage mosses and lichens to grow on rocks in my alpine gardens I use a sprayable mixture of corn starch and potato starch. If I am in a hurry to grow mosses I take the mosses I am interested in growing and put them in a blender and mix them into a green watery form and spray onto the surfaces I want them to grow on. It does not take long for mosses and lichens to take hold (given the right conditions) on even the hardest piece of granite when done this way. In many cases, mosses that grow on trees and rocks are sensitive to water PH, many mosses like a slightly to strongly acidic environment


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