Can you grow Moss out of the water?

32106 Views 5 Replies 6 Participants Last post by houseofcards, Dec 1, 2016

Overwatch

Discussion Starter · Dec 1, 2016

Can you grow Moss out of the water like in an Terrarium in order to speed up growth?

Like Java moss and other types of common aquarium moss?

Also if you are growing in steel mesh, can you do filter grade or do you have to do medical/food grade steel?

Thanks.

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tropicalmackdaddy

· #2 · Dec 1, 2016

Moss readily grows out of water. However, moss is a non vascular plant, so it must be kept moist at all times, otherwise it will eventually dry out.

Moss can be grown on mesh (any should do), but it must be in contact with some nutrient source. Underwater, moss gets its nutrients from the water column. Emerged, it is in contact with running or still water, or moist substrate.

I usually just place a thin layer of substrate in a clear plastic container, fill it with enough water so that the substrate is sufficiently moist, and place the moss on top. Then cover the container so it stays nice and humid. I have multiple on my window that do great!

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Olskule

· #3 · Dec 1, 2016

Why can't you grow moss on cheap nylon window screen? I don't see why stainless steel is needed, unless you want it for rigidity, like for a moss wall on the back of the aquarium. In that case, couldn't you use the plastic "canvas" that is used for needlepoint boxes and other 3-D needlepoint crafts? Of course, you may not be able to find it in tall enough sheets, but you could tie them together with fishing line or other nylon or polyester string, and you could fasten the mesh to the back glass the same way you would have to do for stainless steel. Just an idea I had, I welcome any reasons against it; it just seems like it would be an inexpensive alternative and I don't see why it wouldn't work.

Olskule

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Opare

· #4 · Dec 1, 2016

Yup just gotta keep it moist at all times. Either by spraying it, keeping it in a really humid container or by having either the moss itself or whatever it's on wick water. This could be a bit of the moss actually in water, or a piece of wood which is partially submerged etc.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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KayakJimW

· #5 · Dec 1, 2016

Olskule said:
Why can't you grow moss on cheap nylon window screen? I don't see why stainless steel is needed, unless you want it for rigidity, like for a moss wall on the back of the aquarium. In that case, couldn't you use the plastic "canvas" that is used for needlepoint boxes and other 3-D needlepoint crafts? Of course, you may not be able to find it in tall enough sheets, but you could tie them together with fishing line or other nylon or polyester string, and you could fasten the mesh to the back glass the same way you would have to do for stainless steel. Just an idea I had, I welcome any reasons against it; it just seems like it would be an inexpensive alternative and I don't see why it wouldn't work.

Olskule

All that stuff works. SS is heavy enough not to need anchoring. Lighter plastics will just drift around the tank unless they're held down by something. Most moss walls I've seen use plastic mesh with some kind of frame. That'd be a lot of steel. SS is convenient in little 2 to 4 inch squares

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houseofcards

· #6 · Dec 1, 2016

Aquatic moss grown out of the water will look completely different than the same moss grown submersed, so you might get different growth speeds but it won't have the same look.

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