The Garden At Rock Cottage by Lance Brilliantine

Like most gardeners, I have a love-hate relationship with moss. When it invades my lawn, covers pathways and makes steps and wooden walkways slippery - I hate it. I love it in secluded garden spots, on stones near ponds, and in shady areas where nothing else will grow. I admit there is something attractive about moss, and its rich, velvety color and soft touch are unique. However, I am not happy that moss also decomposes the wood on my decks and stairways!

Moss is lovely in the dense undercover of a forest where a lush green patch of it inspires all that is good in nature. While it plays an important role in a forest's ecosystems, it can be highly invasive and overpowering in a garden, requiring diligent, ongoing control. In fact, moss is a resilient and crafty plant - it is one of the few types of undergrowth that will flourish in winter, and can quickly take over when other plants are dormant.

A recent walk along a shady garden path has shown that in a matter of months, moss has covered an entire walkway. I recall raking moss from a nearby lawn, and behold, I have an entire path covered in the stuff. This is understandable since winter is the time when moss spreads onto structures. While it grows avidly during winter and spring, it typically becomes dormant in warmer, drier weather.

Moss grows wherever it is moist - damp soil, rocks, near streams and bogs, the north sides of trees and benches, and also in lawns. The research suggests there are about 14,000 species of moss, most growing in tropical rainforests where it receives high levels of moisture and shade. Moss can grow to heights of about three inches tall, but most moss is an inch or smaller in height. Moss can be dark to bright green or brownish in color.

One good thing about moss is that it plays a critical role in decomposing and breaking down dead logs and rock surfaces. It will not grow where there is little nutrition, so having it signals a location with some nutrients. Moss also prevents erosion on banks and hills, and is even a food source for some small animals and insects.

Dried mosses, such as sphagnum moss, have become important in gardening as mulch. Because it is slightly antiseptic, indigenous peoples worldwide use ground-up moss to treat wounds and bruises. It can even be used as a preservative. I am told wrapping a freshly caught fish in a coating of wet moss will preserve it for up to three days. Moss is a type of bryophytic plant. This means it does not have sophisticated roots. Rather, it sends out underground filaments, called rhizoids, which help anchor the moss into place. As you might imagine, the filaments are weak, though strong enough to help the moss cling to surfaces.

Many gardeners include moss in the texture of a garden as a point of interest. But care must be used because it can quickly overpower a lawn and significantly reduce the turf. It is especially invasive in poorly drained areas, and will make a lawn uneven. Because it is vulnerable to foot traffic, it wears down easily to soil level and leaves open, bare spots that attract weeds.

There is really only one way to control moss, and that is to rake it or pull it out (be careful that you do not spread shreds of the moss as you do this). Pruning trees and shrubs to increase the amount of sunlight is also helpful to control it by changing the environment. It can be scraped off of wooden structures. Scrubbing surfaces with a mixture of water and Cascade dishwasher soap seems to work for a while; but using any type of chemical is a temporary fix and no better than the scraping and raking. A solution made of iron sulfate will produce positive results, as will applying one of the commercially designed products. One recommended product is Scott's "Moss Killer," which works intermittently, but the moss will return to areas that are conducive to its growth.

Because moss is location specific, noting where it grows and implementing a frequent policing of the area, together with frequent raking and scraping, seems to be the best way to control it.

You can contact Lance Brilliantine with any questions or comments at GardenLance@yahoo.com.

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