# Blender : Moss



## SteveR (Jul 26, 2012)

Has anyone used the 'blender' method (with buttermilk / yoghurt / beer) to grow moss. 

Basically blend it, and paint it on a surface.

Anyone tried it and if so had any luck?


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

I have been seeing more and more people using the moss with sphagnum and water in a blender than paint it on more often than the beer/yogurt mix. I have seen some good results with just water and sphag and thats what I will be doing with our next setup.


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## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

Ive tried it outside and it worked awesome! Never tried it in a tank though. Don't see why it wouldn't work.


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## SteveR (Jul 26, 2012)

Yeah, agree... I'm going to do it in my new setup I think.


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## Pacblu202 (May 8, 2012)

Can someone elaborate on this? I'm making a bunch of tanks as Would be open to some new ideas


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## Pacblu202 (May 8, 2012)

Can someone elaborate on this? I'm making a bunch of tanks as Would be open to some new ideas.


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## Dizzle21 (Aug 11, 2009)

Pacblu202 said:


> Can someone elaborate on this? I'm making a bunch of tanks as Would be open to some new ideas.


Sphagnum moss+ live moss+ water+ blender = moss mix


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## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

Theres a "moss milkshake" recipe out there that you make in a blender with moss, buttermilk and/or beer. You paint it on wherever you want moss to grow and with the right light/humidity it explodes into a sheet of new moss.. We actually grew ours on a cookie sheet outside to plant between walkway stones.

1. Get a heaping handful of moss from a friend or garden center. Having more than one variety will increase your chances of success, in case one or more types don’t like the conditions.

2 Crumble the moss into a blender with two cups of yogurt, buttermilk, or beer, and enough water to keep the mix spreadable. A bit of compost will help fuel growth, but it isn’t a must.

3. Using a paintbrush, spread the shake across rocks, soil that has been cleared of debris, or any other surface where moss is desired. Keep in mind that moss prefers shade (bright light but not direct sunlight).

4. Mist daily and keep the area free of leaves and debris, which will smother and kill the moss. Oh, and have patience: Moss can take as long as two growing seasons to establish itself.


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## Azurel (Aug 5, 2010)

Won't the yogurt/milk get stinky once is spoiled? The beer might not be so bad but there isn't much worse then the smell of spoiled milk.


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## Pacblu202 (May 8, 2012)

For a terrarium usage just water moss and sphagnum then? This doesn't seem any different then just applying sphagnum in your tank and hoping it will grow anywAys


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

My understanding is that the beer, yogurt, or milk is used for a # of reasons. It is the appropriate PH, it provides nutrients for the moss to absorb as it starts to grow.


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## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

I've always heard the milk, yogurt, beer, etc. was used mainly as a carbohydrate source to get the moss going. I tried that method once and had issues with mold. 

I've used live moss mixed with sphagnum, and it grows fine. I've had best results watering with low TDS water as well.


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## Dizzle21 (Aug 11, 2009)

Spaff said:


> I've always heard the milk, yogurt, beer, etc. was used mainly as a carbohydrate source to get the moss going. I tried that method once and had issues with mold.
> 
> I've used live moss mixed with sphagnum, and it grows fine. I've had best results watering with low TDS water as well.


ya if your blending it with live moss i wouldn't add a bunch of crap that is going to mold in your tank. Just stick with some new zealand sphag and some live moss.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

yogurt, buttermilk, and beer has been proven to work, there is a mold stage but generally it will subside. Especially with micro fauna in the viv. The Sphag/water mix is good as well, the sphag basically holds a ton of moisture to help keep the tropical moss damp. Just an added bonus IMO. People have also skipped the sphagnum moss all together and just used a tropical moss with water in a blender. To each their own, somtimes you just have to take a gamble and see what works best. Some people have also taken a clump of moss and just rubbed it into tree fern panels to "release" spores into it. It will eventually grow moss given the right enviroment. Hell, moss tends to just appear randomly on certain wood and cork bark without even using it in your viv. Its all about patience, and proper placement of a good tropical moss in the first place. I have had great success using the tropical moss from NE Herp on ghostwood. I can grow it using t8/t5 lights but 6500k CFL's dont do the trick. Maybe just my placement of the moss who knows.


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## grantska (Apr 12, 2012)

Can the moss/peat mixture be applied to any background material? I can imagine it working well with a tree fern or epiweb background, but does it work with other backgrounds such as silicone/peat or Titebond backgrounds?


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## SteveR (Jul 26, 2012)

Pacblu202 said:


> For a terrarium usage just water moss and sphagnum then? This doesn't seem any different then just applying sphagnum in your tank and hoping it will grow anywAys


Well the thing is, moss isnt like a regular 'plant'. With no vascular structure, even single cells can grow into an entire healthy moss colony. Simply 'waiting' can be a slow process. So cleaning off a specific species - even a little sample..., 'blending it' and then spreading it in this way can rapidly propagate it. Surely - much faster and more effectively - and with more varied species.... than simply putting some dried sphagnum in and hoping.

Especially, if sphagnum or the standard 'water moss' isnt your goal. There are many thousands of types of liverworts, thousands of mosses and thousands of lichens. I think mixing in peat is a really bad idea and serves no purpose unless you dont really care what you get. In that case - have at it. 

Im going to see if I can get a handful of varieties growing (and more importantly - keep them alive). We will see.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

recently I mixed in a spice blender...live New Zealand spag. moss, dried sheet moss from one of DB's sponsors, pinch of ABG, and after thoroughly grinding it into powder...mixed into a cup with Titebond III that had some acrylic colors, and made it into a slurry--smeared it all over the abraded black GS background and cork. I've been misting it two times a day and seems like it will be a green carpet very soon...also coated some vines I had made as well, along with some twine. That took a couple of coats, but I think it will work. I also painted the mix onto the rims of the cannisters for egg deposition...and the plastic cups which will have plants inserted on the vertical walls. The slurry can also be applied to the bare glass...unlike silicone, the Titebond III slurry can be painted over where bare spots may remain.


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

I used live moss and dried sphagnum for my entire tank. Turned out great once it got past the point of patchy growth.


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## Raiden (Aug 2, 2012)

Alright, so I know I look new, but I'm not new to plants.

I want to attempt to grow moss of some sort _besides_ Taxiphyllum sp. on a nice-sized chunk of mopani wood.

This is not going for be a tank for Dendrobatids; this is going to be a tank for 2-3 C. orientalis newts that a dealer near me will have available in about a month.

I am quite fond of moss, but I would like to attempt to grow something besides the ubiquitous Java moss on the wood; does anybody know an appropriate species to use with the blender method that is also easily obtained?

I live in the NW US, so I have many different sources of various *wild* species that I could get, but that would be a shot in the dark as far as getting any of them to grow and survive long term. The tank is relatively cool for the sake of the newts, and I have LED lighting. The Mopani wood will be placed near a filter output , and the root is in a "Y" shape, with water flowing in the middle of the "Y"; the tank will have very low ventilation, so the sides of the Y should remain relatively moist. 

Josh's frogs has some stuff that I like the looks of;

Sheet Moss (1 gallon) - Live Moss | Josh's Frogs

If his guides are to be believed, this appears to be the best choice for what I am planning. 

Further input would be appreciated.


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## SteveR (Jul 26, 2012)

Raiden - I cant contrubute any experience to you, but Im in a similar situation. 

I actually ordered some of that same moss for the same reasons... and intend to blend it and paint it. We will see what happens. I should have it in a couple days.

1 '1 gallon' bag of it. Sheesh. I could probably do my entire tank 10 times...


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

I am planning to do this as well...if my viv was ready for that step Id offer to pay for some...unfortunately Im still not there yet.


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## SteveR (Jul 26, 2012)

kingfisherfleshy said:


> I am planning to do this as well...if my viv was ready for that step Id offer to pay for some...unfortunately Im still not there yet.


Its reasonable. $6.99 for a gallon and $5.99 to ship it. $14 bucks for all of it. 

But, if you only need a good handfull, PM me your mailing address and when it gets here - I'll stuff some in a good sized envelope and send you some.


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

Very generous of you - but my vivarium wont be completed for a month or two at least...Im hoping to have it planted around christmas time. 

So I wouldnt have anywhere to store the moss until then. 

Thanks though, eager to see your results


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

That's the dried sheet moss I used in my spice grinder...mixed with Titebond III and the other ingredients. You really don't have to be concerned about "keeping it" as it is already dry and needs moisture to rehydrate, which you will do eventually. You could also prepare whatever you want it to grow on and keep it in a large plastic bag..or container...with light on it and it is like a mini terrarium..so you get a head start on the growth of the moss.


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## SteveR (Jul 26, 2012)

Judy S said:


> That's the dried sheet moss I used in my spice grinder...mixed with Titebond III and the other ingredients. You really don't have to be concerned about "keeping it" as it is already dry and needs moisture to rehydrate, which you will do eventually. You could also prepare whatever you want it to grow on and keep it in a large plastic bag..or container...with light on it and it is like a mini terrarium..so you get a head start on the growth of the moss.


Really? mix it with wood glue? Im a little surprised that you get much growth from this. Do you have any pics? I would love to see it.

I've been trying to think about what would make the slurry adhere well to semi vertical surfaces - but honestly - embedding it in glue didnt strike me as a possibility. I want to grow it.. not encase it in petrified amber.


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## Totenkampf (Jun 25, 2012)

i wouldnt use the milkshake method in a terarium, something about protein products rotting in the humidity doesnt sound clean. the milkshake method on a background that you have outside of the aquarium would work well. i have used the method on landscape rocks and it works well.

the dry moss type slurry also works well when mixed in with a clay / kittylitter background paste. the moss helps stabilize the clay once it grows in and also helps retain moisture so the clay doesnt crack so easily.


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

Well if this moss can dry out...would it make sense to split it?

If you wanted to Steve...might help you offset the (albeit minimal - Im a college student) cost...and then we could both use it. Shame we arent neighbors though. Would save on shipping.


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## d-prime (Sep 29, 2008)

I've had moderate success with live sphagnum and water. It takes some time, but with intense light you will have results.

I still prefer using christmas moss over the latter because sphagnum has a tendency to grow vertically as opposed to spreading over a surface.


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

I think some vertical growth would be cool...but I get that its not the only thing you would want in a tank.


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