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The Arting

dw1305 said:
Hi all,

I think most cushion (Acrocarpous) mosses will be unsuitable to be grown continually wet, they are usually adapted to dry places and droughting. <"Common mosses on walls"> <"Common mosses on walls - British Bryological Society"> gives you some pictures of species to probably avoid.

cheers Darrel
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Looking at that page the moss in my picture looked like the Tortula muralis without sporecaps when I took it off the wall. 🙂
Incredible transformation on a seemingly continuous damp/soaked substrate before it kicks the bucket and gives up.
 
dw1305 said:
I think most cushion (Acrocarpous) mosses will be unsuitable to be grown continually wet, they are usually adapted to dry places and droughting
Click to expand...
That's my experience as well, with the same going for pleurocarp mosses. The only "wild caught" moss I've had doing acceptable long term in wet conditions indoors are some Sphagnum species, for the rest a dry-ish substrate but with good air humidity AND decent air circulation (try to achieve that 😉 ) seems to be needed. Good light and lower temperatures appears to help too, although many species will probably change their appearance quite a bit still. My best looking moss at the moment indoors is growing in a flower pot where it gets daily misting and some sunlight, making it grow nice and compact, it will probably die-off once the humidity drops in winter though.
IMG_20230724_135553.jpg
 
Hi all,
Tyko_N said:
.......... growing in a flower pot where it gets daily misting and some sunlight, making it grow nice and compact, it will probably die-off once the humidity drops in winter though.
View attachment 208644
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I think that is a real problem in cold places, once the cold air is in the house and warms up the humidity plummets.

Cheers Darrel
 
dw1305 said:
Hi all,

I think that is a real problem in cold places, once the cold air is in the house and warms up the humidity plummets.

Cheers Darrel
Click to expand...

Problems all over, in my Hermetospheres everything but the temperature isn't quite stable and in some cases quite unfavourable for keeping mosses nice and green. It goes up and down too much and nearly impossible to simulate outdoor conditions indoors. Or you would need a large greenhouse and then you still can't force it...

A while ago I visited a terrarium shop to score several rare plants... He had orchids and tree ferns in the collection tied to wood or cork on sphagnum and the most beautiful mosses growing to it. I asked the guy why he doesn't grow these mosses on a commercial basis. He answered that he tried many times and it was impossible, and he does nothing about it any longer, they come and go as they please and found my peace in that matter. He hangs the plants in the greenhouse and that's it, mosses come and go along the way as nature provides it.
 
REDSTEVEO said:
Isn't that type of clay totally inert and lacking in nutrients? Usually, used for pottery work only?
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I'm sure it has Micro/Trace elements in its makeup... red colour.....Iron.
 
zozo said:
Problems all over, in my Hermetospheres everything but the temperature isn't quite stable and in some cases quite unfavourable for keeping mosses nice and green. It goes up and down too much and nearly impossible to simulate outdoor conditions indoors. Or you would need a large greenhouse and then you still can't force it...

A while ago I visited a terrarium shop to score several rare plants... He had orchids and tree ferns in the collection tied to wood or cork on sphagnum and the most beautiful mosses growing to it. I asked the guy why he doesn't grow these mosses on a commercial basis. He answered that he tried many times and it was impossible, and he does nothing about it any longer, they come and go as they please and found my peace in that matter. He hangs the plants in the greenhouse and that's it, mosses come and go along the way as nature provides it.
Click to expand...
This looks a pretty useful resource.

mossandstonegardens.com

Acrocarpous Moss vs. Pleurocarpous Moss | Differences Explained

All mosses can be classified into two types: Acrocarpous and Pleurocarpous. Below we explain the difference between these two types of mosses. What Is Acrocarpous Moss? Acrocarpous mosses have an upright growth habit and grow slower than Pleurocarpous mosses. Encyclopedia.com defines Acrocarpous...
mossandstonegardens.com mossandstonegardens.com
 
Well, this little project is now completed. Funny how your plans and expectations change as things progress. It isn't quite the Japanese Zen Garden I was originally planning, but after trying to go down that route it wasn't working out as I'd planned.
So, it is now called, 'England's Green And Pleasant Land'
Even though it isn't what I'd originally planned I'm kind of pleased with the end result. I have a feeling that as the clay I've used dries out along the top at the back, things might go pear shaped and bits could break off or collapse.

Time will tell after my first go at this.
The actual planting was really enjoyable. The preparation of the clay and all the materials however was a bit of a chore. Hopefully it was all worth it.

First the nice photographs of the finished project. Then I'll post the preparation photographs.

Thanks for looking.20230725_202139.jpg20230725_204026.jpg20230725_204040.jpg20230725_204058.jpg20230725_204128.jpg20230725_204348.jpg20230725_204354.jpg20230725_204414.jpg
 
@REDSTEVEO you have done a great job here, it looks really natural. A beautiful little scene. I now realise from following the various discussions and advice on this thread where I may have been going wrong with my similar experiment. I had started to think that I had a soil/substrate issue leading to the mosses not thriving, but it looks like I am keeping my mosses too wet with water trickling over them. Anyway, the pictures of your set up have certainly given me some fresh inspiration
 
SteveMid said:
@REDSTEVEO you have done a great job here, it looks really natural. A beautiful little scene. I now realise from following the various discussions and advice on this thread where I may have been going wrong with my similar experiment. I had started to think that I had a soil/substrate issue leading to the mosses not thriving, but it looks like I am keeping my mosses too wet with water trickling over them. Anyway, the pictures of your set up have certainly given me some fresh inspiration
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll post an update with more photographs in a week's time. I'm using rain water in a spray bottle to mist it at the moment. Not sure if I should be adding any mineral or fertiliser to the rain water.

There is an issue with the glass misting up, but I'll find a way to prevent that.
 
Well it's been more than a week since I said I'd post an update with photographs.

It's all going very well, I'm really happy with it.

I have plucked out the odd bug, a small caterpillar, a woodlouse, a strange looking beetle and two slugs. But apart from that, it's doing very well.

I did buy a glass cover to an exact fit to go under the lid with the light in it, to try and keep things slightly more moist and so I didn't have to mist it as often. But that just made it mist up completely. It will probably come in handy if I'm away for any length of time, but for now it isn't needed.
Can any one spot the differences between the previous photographs and these latest ones?

20230819_144409.jpg20230819_144432.jpg20230819_144450.jpg
 
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