Hey guys, Jeremy here with KISS Aquatic Systems k-i-s-s keep it simple stupid.
Today's video is going to be about moss and how to grow it at your pond.
Or rather really just how to speed it along, because moss is
probably going to show up on its own sooner or later anyway.
So in general I think moss is one of those sometimes overlooked benefits of having a pond.
It thrives in the extra humidity in the immediate vicinity of the pond, and tends to do really
really well along the pond edges where it has a constant standing water source to draw from.
I think moss is an interesting plant that looks great,
especially on those cool, rainy, overcast days.
Moss tends to really glow and pop after it rains and it shows
quite nicely I think against the darker wet landscaping stones.
So there are a ton of different species of moss that grow all over the world,
and it can often be difficult to identify similar looking species.
So for purposes of this video I will describe moss by its growth forms.
Now the two common forms of moss that I'm going to be talking about here
are acrocarps and pleurocarps. In a nutshell, acrocarps, which are often affectionately known as
pincushion mosses, grow as thick clumps of upright oriented plants.
While pleurocarps, on the other hand, have a branched growth form
and grow outwards rather than upwards in a somewhat sprawling and chaotic fashion.
As you can see, my koi pond's edges are dominated by pleurocarp moss.
That's not all that surprising, as these types of mosses can grow fairly quickly under the
right conditions. I seeded my pond edges with this moss a few years back, and now as you can see it
has pretty much colonized the entire area around the water line on the front side of my koi pond.
As you may have noticed, some of these mosses
are actually growing both above and just below the water line, with the
submerged and above water forms having slightly different patterns in growth.
I found that lots of different kinds of pleurocarp moss grows great with its feet wet,
which increases its growth rate versus moss without permanent water access
and also makes it less susceptible to drying out from the sun or the wind.
It also grows better and attaches well to somewhat more textured rather than smooth surfaces.
Mosses are simple plants and they lack true roots, but they do have
rhizoids that help anchor and attach them to surfaces and prevent drying out.
It could take some time for the rhizoids to really grab hold of surfaces, but once they do that's a
pretty good sign that the moss has established itself and will continue to grow and spread.
Now that I've touched on the growing conditions for pleurocarp moss,
let's briefly discuss two downsides with this moss.
Firstly, a lot of birds seem to love picking at and ripping up these kinds of mosses.
They like looking for worms and other goodies under the moss, particularly after it rains,
and I do believe they may also use some of this moss in the spring as nesting material.
So something to watch out for particularly in the spring.
Secondly, unlike the acrocarp moss that we'll talk about shortly, pleurocarps
may need to be weeded from time to time, as some plants can grow alongside and within these mosses.
Okay, now let's shift gears a bit and talk about acrocarp mosses.
From my experience, acrocarps are
slower growers and less likely to be able to attach themselves to surfaces.
They also do not like to have their feet wet and do better in environments with somewhat
better drainage. I find this moss to be a bit trickier and pickier about placement,
but I've done well with it along the sides of my pond nestled between rocks, as you can see here.
In these locations, this moss does have water access through rain
but it can also dry out from time to time which I find does help with its longevity.
From what I've seen, good drainage really is important for these guys in general. And I'll
usually see them in nature growing on slopes and other areas where water does not tend to pool.
Now overall I think this type of moss is a bit nicer looking than the pleurocarps,
but definitely a much slower grower
and pickier moss in general. So yeah folks, those are my experiences growing moss around my ponds.
I think in general, if you want to have success growing mosses at your pond
and you're looking to seed it,
it's best to find local mosses that are growing in conditions similar to those around your pond.
Every species of moss is obviously somewhat different and adapted to different niches,
so you do increase your odds of success that way.
So thanks folks, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed the video, take care, and happy ponding!