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What is moss?
It is a low-growing, flowerless plant without roots.
Mosses typically grow in wetlands, rainforests, and generally in any location where dampness or moisture is sufficient.
They also thrive well in shaded areas and spread through spores (likeferns).
Pros:
Cons:
What is moss bad for?
Technically, if moss is bad for something, it would be around building materials.
Stock wood, concrete, and fences might be niches of bad moss.
Other than that, all is good with moss.
How can moss be categorized?
Botanically, mosses now have their own plant category which is Bryophyta.
There are more than 12,000 recognized moss species.
They are best known as carpet-like covers in forests and lawns.
The most commercially sold moss is the sphagnum which is used for peat moss.
Acrocarps are recognizable for growing in mounds with erect and unbranched stems.
They cannot stand overmoisture and need to be dried out periodically.
Types of moss
1.
It has a dense and branching habit with pale green color and red-brown stems.
It is found along streamlines and woodlands native to eastern Canada and the northern USA.
It produces capsule-like foliage with red-brown stalks hovering at the base.
It is named as such because the leaves have toothed edges.
It prefers colder temperatures and more damp soils.
It has shiny leaves that turn orange when it reaches maturity.
It sprouts from rotten logs, intree stumpsand tree barks.
It gets its name because it looks like an embroidered fabric.
It has notable deep green and stiff-textured foliage with white streaks.
Its leaves are of deep and pale green hues and it has red-brown stems.
It loves acidic and very moist soils.
When looked at from afar, they look like small stars.
Common Tamarisk Moss (Thuidium tamariscinum)
It is a delicate feather-moss with lacy foliage.
It highly resembles ferns adorned with a deep green color and long, burgundy stems.
Unlike other mosses that love acidic soils, this one prefers alkaline soils.
It grows in dense tufts in woodlands and in very damp locations.
It also has stubby red-brown stems.
In general, it looks like miniaturealoe verabut with pale red streaks.
It thrives in sheltered locations and will not tolerate much sun.
Fern moss (Thuidium delicatulum)
It is a fast-growing moss also known as log moss.
They tend to grow on rocks and in other moist locations.
It is called as such because they literally look like ferns but with a shabbier look.
They have a velvet texture and deep green color.
They are often dried and used in wreaths.
Fire moss (Ceratodon purpureus)
It is notable for its young branches sprouting on top of old ones.
It forms in mounds and makes a dense moss mat in forests.
It has thread-like leaves that are deep green at youth and red as it reaches maturity.
It thrives in soils rich in nitrogen.
As such, you would find it in burnt areas.
This is where it gets its name.
Glittering Wood Moss (Hylocomium splendens)
It is sought-after for its shiny foliage that glows in the sun.
It is a feather-jot down, cold-climate moss endemic to Canada, Russia, and Scotland.
It has long branching, red stems and deep green, glossy foliage.
It looks like miniature spruce and is used in wreaths and other floral displays.
Heath Star Moss (Campylopus introflexus)
It is a fast-growing moss native to South America.
It sprouts in old wood/logs, fence posts, and in thatched roofs.
It has a bright green color at youth and almost black when it is old.
It also has red stems.
In ideal conditions, it is a robust grower.
As such, it is considered as invasive in some areas.
Hypnum moss (Hypnum cupressiforme)
It is also known as carpet moss or sheet moss.
It is commonly used as a substitute for grass when it comes to lawns.
It has branching, low-growing, bristly stems.
Its curly leaves come in a range of yellow-green to rich green color.
It is distinguished from brocade moss for its lack of midrib.
It has deep green foliage with a spiky feel and small-forming rosettes.
Like the pincushion moss, it also grows on mounds or in patches.
It is distinguishable with its spear-shaped leaves and slender, brown stems.
It will not thrive under full sun and will sprout in tree trunks, rocks, and logs.
It is considered as a perennial moss known for its habit of growing in mounds.
Each cushion or mound has branching stems hidden in a pile of gray-green leaves.
It has feathery foliage making it look plump.
It is also known as the knights plume moss because it looks like the feathers in a knights helmet.
It has dense, deep-green foliage that produces moss mats in a garden.
Its natural habitat is wetlands, outnumbering wild moss because of their fast growth rate.
It has fine deep-green foliage and orange-brown stems.
It is widespread in colder regions such as Canada.
It is considered as the most common Didymodon species producing dense, emerald green foliage of carpet-like quality.
It will not tolerate much sun as it thrives in sheltered locations.
Sand Beauty (Racomitrium canescens)
It is known for being drought-resistant and can thrive in hot temperatures.
It thrives well in semi-shade locations even in sandpits.
After the rain or when given enough moisture, it will turn into dark green again.
It grows in dense clusters growing at three centimeters high.
Shaggy Moss (Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus)
This one has a fuzzy look with long, red-brown, stems.
It gets its name for its mossy, unkempt look.
It is deep green at youth and will turn brown as it matures.
It is native to the moist forest lands of the Midwest Pacific.
Shiny Seductive Moss (Entodon seductrix)
It is a fast-growing, fast-spreading feather moss in a sideways pattern.
Its most common habitats are rotten logs and old wooden fence posts.
It loves full sun and is native to North America.
It has long, narrow, yellow-green leaves curled in the same direction.
Spoon Leaved Moss (Bryoandersonia illecebra)
This is known for its juicy, pale leaves.
Their stems are hidden in their dense leaves.
When they are older, their pale leaves will turn brown.
They are found in fertile, rocky, and very moist soils.
It is considered a rare species in Canada as it is only found in Ontario.
It is notable for its dense, pale green leaves and red stems.
It is also spiny and thick and makes a good ground cover.
It is also called an electrified cats tail.
It is known for its branching stems that produce dense tufts of carpet-like form.
Its stems could reach up to 15cm long with sharp bends and in an outward manner.
It has glossy, dark green foliage with red spores.
It is very attractive for lawns.
It is long branching, outward stretching, producing dense tufts of carpet-like quality.
Warnsdorffs Peat Moss (Sphagnum warnstorfii)
It is a popular soil amendment for gardens.
There are 350 species of sphagnum moss thriving mainly in the northern hemisphere.
Water Screw Moss (Syntrichia latifolia)
It is low-growing at a maximum of just an inch tall.
It has a glossy look making it a decorative moss.
It has generally broad leaves packed in clusters around its burgundy stems.
They grow in old logs, fence posts, and shaded roads.
They have small green flowers.
It is common in Florida, eastern Mississippi, and also in Canada.
Here is a rundown of the uses of moss.
Other methods would be spraying iron sulfate moss killer.
Adding lime and making the lawn acidic will also get rid of moss.
Conclusion
To conclude, moss is more than just an ancient patch of greens.
It is no wonder why mosses remain to be significant even at the present age specifically for garden enthusiasts.
