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[Article Title]Gardening with moss the humble plants provide many benefits
[Artical Suimmary] GARDEN ARTICLE
[Article Contect]

nurseries carry starter moss garden kits, which contain packages of spores or patches of full-grown moss for transplanting. Moss Acres, located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, offers a variety of moss garden starter kits on its website, starting at $35. Al Benner, president of Moss Acres, says moss will thrive in shady areas where it is traditionally difficult to persuade grass to grow, including under and around trees and between stepping stones on flagstone paths.

This Moss Can be Yours

After you have selected a suitable area, remove weeds and press spores into little three-inch square plugs, two to three feet apart. When planting the moss spores, do not use herbicides, but add compost or fertilizer. Paul lames, host of HGTV's Gardening by the Yard, suggests applying a buttermilk mixture to the soil to promote faster growth. Mix one part buttermilk and two parts water in a misting spray bottle and apply generously during the first few weeks of growth. Within a couple of weeks you should see the first signs of moss beginning to grow. "Any garden takes about two years to look good" adds Cook.

During the first year, mist the plants with water once a week, but after that nature will take over. Moss holds water in its filaments, allowing it to survive during droughts and long winters. During extreme conditions, moss survives by becoming dormant.

Worth reading are three books on moss gardening by George Schenk, including Moss Gardening and The Complete Shade Gardener. If you don't have the time to start your own moss garden, hire an experienced landscape designer

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