Moss?

[Amoeba]

Moss is one of my favorite plants, just for its prehistoric look. I have a bunch in a jar that does just fine. Just put an inch or two of gravel at the bottom, cover it with water, put a few inches of soil on top of that, then place the moss on top of the soil and gently push the bottoms into the soil. Cover the jar with plastic wrap and a rubber band and place in a sunny window and enjoy. the plastic wrap will hold in the moisture so you never have ot water it.

Out of curiosity how long have you kept live moss? what species?

 

[satchellwk]

I've only had this moss in this jar for about 2 months, but it has grown quite a bit in that time frame.
I really have no idea what species are in it, there are about 5 different kinds. I just grabbed whatever looked cool.

I'm by no means an expert, I was just stating my experience.

 

[Amoeba]

^^ I was just checking that you just didn't throw it together sometime last night. I need to find a moss around here that isn't spanish moss....

 

[flamesbane]

FYI if you are wanting to sterilize moss you can soak it in a 2-4% bleach solution for 15-20 minuets then immediately rinse. Repeat the rinse until you no longer smell bleach on the moss. Air dry for a few day (or let it grow in your empty tank for a week or two) before adding your pets. This will kill some moss, but most plants and mosses can handle it.

 

[pavel]

Hmm, I've never seen any moss that could handle bleach, though I do understand you are talking about a dilute solution, Flame.

I would not recommend putting a closed jar of moss in a window where it gets direct sun. That's usually a recipe for disaster, as temps in the jar get way too high. Think about how hot your car gets when its been in the sun for even a short time with the windows rolled up. Now a window with lots of bright indirect sun is another story. That would be a very good location.

An issue that will crop up with the "sealed" method Satchell spoke of is mold which can contribute to mass moss die offs. Moist, stagnant air makes for ideal conditions for many molds/fungi. I base this both on research and a goodly amount of personal experience both with terr and plants in general.

Btw, FlAmoeba, spanish moss is not a moss at all. It's a bromeliad.

 

[flamesbane]

Hmm, I've never seen any moss that could handle bleach, though I do understand you are talking about a dilute solution, Flame.

Very dilute, I have used the method successfully with different varieties of moss and other plants.

 

[Amoeba]

My desk is right next to the window and the blinds are usually turned up so I figure down turned blinds will allow for indirect sunlight in. How would one avoid mold/fungi issues just leave the jar open for a good portion of time per day to keep the air from becoming stagnant?

As for Spanish moss it's the ugliest bromeliad I've ever seen :sarcasm:

 

[satchellwk]

Thanks for the info pavel.
I wouldn't really say that the window gets direct sunlight, since there are a lot of bushes/trees in the way.
So far, I haven't noticed any fungi in there yet, but I'll be sure to watch it.

 

[pavel]

My desk is right next to the window and the blinds are usually turned up so I figure down turned blinds will allow for indirect sunlight in.

As long as the sun's rays are not shining directly onto the closed jar you will be fine. The fact that you have a NW exposure should reduce how much sunlight directly shines into your room. If so then the blinds might not need to be turned down at all or only during certain times of the day or year.

How would one avoid mold/fungi issues just leave the jar open for a good portion of time per day to keep the air from becoming stagnant?

Yes. Though to be nitpicky, fungal issues could still occur depending on how moist the media is and a host of other factors, but keeping the jar open for at least part of the day will greatly reduce such problems if not outright eliminate them. Later, if you move on to larger terrs or vivs there are other things to do then.

As for Spanish moss it's the ugliest bromeliad I've ever seen :sarcasm:

:laugh:Personally, I like it. Really. :biggrin:

I wouldn't really say that the window gets direct sunlight, since there are a lot of bushes/trees in the way.

An obstructed window such as you've described, Satchell, makes a lot of difference. Lighting tends to be one of those areas in which things are often a bit more complex than most realize.

 

[Amoeba]

I don't suspect there is alot of Spanish moss in Michigan then :laugh:

I'm definatly going to try this and maybe throw a few isopods in there cause they need moisture too being crusties

 

[Louise E. Rothstein]

Moss often grows in unexpected places.
"Seek and you shall find..." and,probably,in more than one place.

Many accidental moss owners do not really want to keep it.
Please consider asking people who already have moss whether you may take some.
Sooner or later,you WILL succeed.

 

[rak1971]

i dont see how you would be able to sterilize the moss without killing it.

dip it in a bleach and water solution for 3-5 mins.

 

[BenjaminBoa]

If you're talking about something not going in a tarantula enclosure, figure out what the lighting is like where you plan on keeping it and then go outside and find a spot outside with those same lighting levels and dig up some of the moss. Though as far as plants go mosses are pretty durable, most can survive drying out a bit or too much/ too little lighting. Tropical mosses like the shit in the pet trade can be a bit more finicky. Just experiment, if you kill a little who cares? Eventually you'll get it right. Don't throw it away if it goes brown though, just like a lot of plants it can go into shock when moved. I've had plenty of experiences especially when moving moss into my T enclosure where it goes brown for a few weeks and then comes back to life and grows over the dead parts. I don't know the names of any mosses though so I can't help you there, I collect all of mine from outside. I look for what "looks cool" sterilize it and put it in my Avic's tank. It's seriously taking over now, its growing up the wall, on some of the plants and every few months the sporangea show up in a mass sea of red stalks which is pretty neat. I've found that if you wanna kill bugs inside it simply submerge it for a few days under water it does fine and the bugs float off and drown. Some mosses you can dry out completely, but the diluted bleach way is the safest in terms of eliminating everything. I lay down a layer of dried sphangum moss over potting soil or coco coir and then plant the live moss ontop of that. I generally use a razorblade to get any dirt off the moss mass, it seems to help it attach it's self to the substrate better. I can't advise you about fertilizing though, I've never bothered but I'm sure someone on here could tell you the best type and dosage to make it grow faster.

 

[Introvertebrate]

The poison dart frog folks often use java moss and riccia as a moss substitute. They're not true mosses. They're actually aquatic plants, however, they'll grow in terrariums under the right conditions.

 

[Tarac]

I don't suspect there is alot of Spanish moss in Michigan then

Nope, as pointed out Spanish Moss is a bromeliad, a species of Tillandsia (usneoides). It's definitely part of the southern forest look along with live oaks, won't find it much further north at all. I like it personally, gives some vertical layering to the canopy which lends itself to the "tropical" look. If you look closely at the inflorescence (stick with stringy white filaments puffing out when in fruit) you can see it is shaped very similarly to a lot of the more familiar bromeliads like Billbergia, just tiny. No "tank" on them, but they are a rosette that's stretched out and thin. There are other species of Tillandsia that demonstrate the transition of the one growth habit we typically associate with bromeliads to the extremes- long chains of plantlets, so it looks like regular bromeliads only in a big hanging mass a la "Spanish moss." "Ball moss" is also Tillandsia and can be found in the south only, it's slightly less hardy than T. usneoides. Some parts of Jax will support it, others will not. That's right about where it dies off. If you are in a warmer part of the city with good urban heat you will have it, on the outskirts and in wide open areas it will be absent. An interesting indicator species for winter climate in Northern Florida.

As for mosses in your area, best advice is to find a moist very shady habitat. If you know of a creek or even a mesic hardwood hammock you will probably find bunches of types of moss that will be suitable for relatively low light, high humid applications like Tarantula enclosures. I'm not so far from you and have no trouble finding moss in the shade so long as the area has a regular supply of water. This means even shady spots where air handlers drip all day behind businesses (north walls especially), creeks in the woods, culverts around drainage ditches. Lots of places moss can be found. I find it a lot growing in between the old brachts of Sabal palms where debris has built up into a make-shift substrate. Pick one that isn't somewhere really ecologically sensitive, like a bog type moss that require slow flowing and very low pH water, and in the shade and you should be good to go. Lots of kinds around, just look for one in the darkest spots possible so it isn't challenging to get the lighting right.

P.S. 10% bleach for a few minutes is fine for moss. Acetic acid also works for most. Just rinse both thoroughly before using and you're good to go.