# Moss on log....How to grow



## titan501x (Dec 7, 2006)

I want moss on driftwood and the background, but if i just sit some on it it will look like crap. Soo, i need to know how to grow moss on the log and background. anybody know how?[/url]


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## xfrogx (Jul 5, 2006)

You could use java moss. On my verts I just put it where the backround meets the substrate and let it grow. Make sure to keep it wet though.


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## titan501x (Dec 7, 2006)

xfrogx said:


> You could use java moss. On my verts I just put it where the backround meets the substrate and let it grow. Make sure to keep it wet though.


Java moss isn't really the look i want. I like java moss, but it spreads too fast and looks like grass.


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## tyler (Feb 23, 2006)

I just recieved some tropical sheet moss from blackjungle. I'm currently going to give it a try in my hex. It may take weeks to months for it to firstly get established depending on the conditions. Time will tell.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Buttermilk moss milkshake...
It works, but you have to be patient.
Also tends to mold like crazy, but that is also a good way to get you're springtails and isopods started in the tank.

Use equal parts water and buttermilk (could probably use less buttermilk to lessen the mold some) and add enough moss to make the mix the consistency of cream soup in the blender, just pulse it gently, and don't overdo the blending.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Dancing frogs said:


> Buttermilk moss milkshake...
> It works, but you have to be patient.
> Also tends to mold like crazy, but that is also a good way to get you're springtails and isopods started in the tank.
> 
> Use equal parts water and buttermilk (could probably use less buttermilk to lessen the mold some) and add enough moss to make the mix the consistency of cream soup in the blender, just pulse it gently, and don't overdo the blending.


Not to step on toes but I would not recommend this in a viv. Fact of the matter is, its far too damp and not enough airflow. I believe this technique was intended to work on things meant for outside or areas where there is some air movement. Its not supposed to mold over like crazy.

If you want this too work, just get some moss from a retailer (good moss, none of that dye filled junk) and attach it to some driftwood. Keep it moist and in really good light. After a while you'll see it start to come back. Here are some before and after shots that I took using this method.

Before









After









Before









After


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

I also purchased some Tropical Sheet Moss from Black Jungle. I `m telling you this stuff grows on anything. I put a small pinch of soil on some wood in my viv and set the moss on the soil. After a couple of months the moss has creeped 3 or 4 inches down the wood! Just for the hell of it I laid a piece on top of a co-co hut, the hut is now nearly covered in moss! Drainage and good light is the key here. Good Luck, John.


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## titan501x (Dec 7, 2006)

Frogtofall said:


> Dancing frogs said:
> 
> 
> > Buttermilk moss milkshake...
> ...


About that buttermilk moss milkshake, what if i let the moss get started on a log outside the viv, then once the moss a a good start, just put it into the viv?


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

The buttermilk has worked well for me, I should get some close ups in my retic tanks to show it off! (dont worry no toes stepped on) I even have a couple of chunks of tropical pillow moss growing on the glass (not that I expect that to last).
I've had best luck doing that on cork, treefern, wood, flevopol concoctions, just about anything but trying to grow it on substrate.

One other thing I did, not expecting results, was to take some tropical pillow moss that had been sitting in a cardboard box drying up for a year, ground it between my palms over the top of the viv, which gave everything a dusting of moss bits and presumably spores. I then sprayed with water, and once in a while sprayed it with some diluted beer (alcohol abuse) and to my surprize, it grew...6 months later, it is now an ugly brown shade, but it worked for a while.


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## titan501x (Dec 7, 2006)

Dancing frogs said:


> The buttermilk has worked well for me, I should get some close ups in my retic tanks to show it off! (dont worry no toes stepped on) I even have a couple of chunks of tropical pillow moss growing on the glass (not that I expect that to last).
> I've had best luck doing that on cork, treefern, wood, flevopol concoctions, just about anything but trying to grow it on substrate.
> 
> One other thing I did, not expecting results, was to take some tropical pillow moss that had been sitting in a cardboard box drying up for a year, ground it between my palms over the top of the viv, which gave everything a dusting of moss bits and presumably spores. I then sprayed with water, and once in a while sprayed it with some diluted beer (alcohol abuse) and to my surprize, it grew...6 months later, it is now an ugly brown shade, but it worked for a while.


Hmmm, i think i'll try the buttermilk thing. How did you go about making it and spreading it though?


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Mix it like I described in the first post...I used instant buttermilk.

spread it with a paintbrush...

Highly recomend putting a ton of springtails in when you're done.

Be aware that some have had poor luck with this method, and gave up and redone the viv.
Because of that, I suggest trying it on a small practice tank or container before going to town on a tank you have a lot of money invested in.

Like Antone said, the original recipe is for outdoor use...perhaps if you could dangle a small fan in there, and leave the top open a little it would help as well...as for me, I'm patient for these things, and knew the mold would go away sooner or later...about a month and a half for the retic tanks, and they were furrry until then!


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## titan501x (Dec 7, 2006)

i was thinkn that i could grow it on sheets of wax paper with peat moss on them. then when it is ready i could just ripp a bit off and place it were i need it.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Mosses grow best in bright light. To a large extent the brighter the better. If you have a decent humidity in the tank you can take either dry sphagnum, dry peat moss or even tree fern boards and grind them up over the surface you want to seed. If there is sufficient moisture and light you should start to see moss growth within three months. It will take longer for the moss to become established but this will be dependent on the moisture level and the light. 

To grow relatively sterile mosses for terraria, I use shallow pots and mix them with a 50/50 mixture of dry peat and silica sand. These pots are then placed in a glass covered tank with about 0.5 inches of water under bright light. The pots are typically covered with moss within a couple of month and plugs can be removed and planted into the tanks. If you want to grow a variety of species grind up some tree fern boards and cover the peat with the ground up fiber and repeat process. You can grow some really nice varieties under strong power compact lighting. Standard flourescents will result in less variety growing in the tank. 

you should also get a variety of ferns growing this way (look for small growths that look like liverworts as these are the ferns getting started). 


Ed


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## porkchop (Aug 29, 2005)

Bright light and humidity has worked well for me.
the idea of doing milkshake log on wood outside is good.
then when it kicks off, throw it in your tank, problem is it takes along time.
best bet is to pin some pieces to the log under good light and keep moist. It'll take. good luck.


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## Jay Why (Aug 27, 2005)

tree fern boards

What is that exactly - more important, where can I find it? That really cool - surprise plants popping up.


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

Tree fern fiber (it's not typically reffered to as boards) is available through at least one of the sponsors and through several plant sites. 

When I do moss I buy it from shows, toss it in a tank where it gets light and can stay wet and it usually does pretty well. Now that I've discovered sphagnum moss and that I can get it to come back from a dried state, I'm thrilled. My next ground cover will be riccia, but that'll be a while.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

titan501x said:


> i was thinkn that i could grow it on sheets of wax paper with peat moss on them. then when it is ready i could just ripp a bit off and place it were i need it.


Well, I don't know what kind of moss you're thinking of, but the pillow moss does poorly on a substrate mix, (IME) even ABG mix.


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Taiwan moss is like java moss but tends to have a different look...less grassy. I have some in my paludarium for the edge of the water section and will post photos when it gets going. It needs it pretty moist, but is a better candidate for emersed growth than java moss.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Finally got around to taking some pics of the buttermilk results.
These photos represent about 5-6 months of growth.
The stuff on substrate is on abg mix, and took a long time to start looking like it had any hope...the stuff on the cork, trefern, and "flevopol" mix grew much faster.
The starter moss was tropical pillow moss from T+C terrariums.


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Oh. My. Gosh. :shock: 

Most the pics from the buttermilkshake technique usually contain LOTS of mold. Nice work.


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

That looks excellent. Like Antone, I get mold, not moss.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Frogtofall said:


> Oh. My. Gosh. :shock:
> 
> Most the pics from the buttermilkshake technique usually contain LOTS of mold. Nice work.


Thanks, I didn't take the time to take pics of the mold phase...

The substrate experiment went through a few stages...a day or two after I started it, it molded up...thick...it litterally was at least a half inch thick, covering every inch of nice white hairy mold...then I loaded it with springtails...then the tanks became 10gallon, booming springtail cultures, which I harvested out out of until mites knocked out the springtails, about 2 months ago, which was really the first point at which it started to look like the moss would grow...it seems to be looking nicer every day now.

The other pics are of my retic tanks...they molded up too, but not nearly as bad, being that a vertical wall drains pretty well.

The main thing is patience...if you expect to put you're animals in a relatively low mold tank within a 4 month timeframe...look elsewhere!


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## Anoleo2 (Feb 1, 2006)

Wow that moss is great looking.


I'm sure we are the only group of people on earth that actually take the time to say that moss looks pretty :lol:


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

Is it dangerous then to put frogs in a tank with lots of mold? Are they harmed by breathing in spores like us?


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## joeyo90 (Nov 5, 2006)

love the moss brian  
im not sure how dangerous the mold would be dendrobait but i know i wouldnt put frogs in it till it was gone


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