Irish Moss Care and Propagation: Part 1
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- Опубликовано: 12 дек 2018
- Learn how to care for and propagate Irish Moss (Sagina subulata) in your garden. Irish Moss is a wonderful ground cover, especially when combined with natural stone. Growing Irish Moss is easy if you follow a few simple rules. In this video you'll see some interesting uses of Irish Moss in Rosanne's Garden.
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Rosanne, your garden is EXACTLY what I want for mine! I live in a ranch style, but I still want an enchanted/cottage style garden. :-) So many beautiful elements, and I appreciate you sharing with us!
I'm so happy to hear that we agree on garden styles. I'm sure you will create a lovely enchanted garden! 🌹
The pattern of the walkway is BEAUTIFUL with the moss and stones. I love this! SUBSCRIBED!
Thank you!
@@RosannesGarden is this the same irishmoss that Jamaicans use to make a drink
@@donmor5397 no, that's red algae, i don't think this plant is edible...
I never heard of Irish moss but I found it at Wal=mart and had to buy it because of its beauty. Thanks for your video.
You are quite welcome. I had no idea Wal-mart carried it! Good to know!
This was a great video with exactly what I wanted to learn. Only video I could find as informational as this about this plant. Thank you!
Thank you very much. I found the same lack of information and learned through trial and error. I'm happy to spread the knowledge to fellow enthusiasts. :-)
I love your garden. Touch of Stones and Irish moss are so pretty what I wanted to have. One of my favorite channel lists to watch it.
Thank you! I am so glad you are enjoying my channel. I don't do many videos, but I try to do them well.
Thank you for this video! I just bought 2 small pots of Irish Moss for the first time this morning and I can't wait to plant them!!!
Oh good! Good luck! I know you will nurture them.
Love your gardens and pathways 😍
Thank you.
I really enjoy your videos. It would be really cool to see a whole yard tour. You have quite the green thumb and all of your plants look like they are flourishing!
Thank you! Glad you enjoy the videos. This summer, I plan to do more garden tour videos and am excited to do so. Unfortunately, it's the only way people will see the garden this year.
Best Video ever on Garden tips for Irish Moss
Thank you. That is quite the compliment. I appreciate it.
Searching up Oregon gardens and in one of those videos this came up as recommended and I'm happier for it! Love you channel, SUBSCRIBED
Thank you! I'm not sure why You Tube recommended it, but I'm glad!
Thanks for this video. I'm just leaving about Irish miss as I look for something to go in between pavers. I was leaning towards creeping thyme but saw Irish miss in my local nursery and I loved it! Thanks for the tips on how I might be able to grow my own!
Glad to hear that! I always root for "Team Irish Moss". Depending on your USDA Zone, I found that Irish Moss was much stronger than creeping thyme through the bitter Minnesota winters.
So lovely! Can’t wait to try this approach in my new yard.
Thank you! I wish you all the best with your new yard and trying out Irish Moss. It does have a look that's just so appealing.
Love the garden absolutely beautiful !!!
Thanks so much! I'm glad you think so!
Beautiful garden, thanks for sharing your pointers.
Thanks! Glad you found the video helpful.
Wonderful , I just bought some and want to plant it in my front and backyard here in Oklahoma. Already have native moss growing extensively and understand how different this is, thank you. Just beautiful your work is art.
Thank you very much and best of luck with your Irish Moss! Do be aware that native moss can be a competitor of Irish Moss. If the Irish Moss doesn't get enough sun, the native moss will take over. I'd try to keep them separated. Again, good luck and happy planting.
I really enjoy your videos. Your garden is a dream and the content interesting and relevant. Please keep them coming!
Thank you very much! I'm glad you are enjoying the videos! I don't do many videos, but I try to make each one special 😊
Nice! I love your garden, and all the insight and guidance...shared with my community gardeners
Thank you so much! That is kind.
Makes me proud to be Irish. Best wishes for the holidays from Ireland 🇮🇪😎🇮🇪
Greetings to Ireland! I just love hearing from people around the world united by a love of gardening. Irish Moss is one of my plant love affairs. 🌿
Very useful video! Thanks so much for sharing your experience of growing Irish moss, looking forward to trying to grow it in my garden in Scotland.
It is so great that you will be trying out Irish Moss. All the best! As an aside, I love watching BBC's Beechgrove Gardens.
How did it work out? As I’m in Northern Ireland and would love this in my gardens
Gorgeous backyard!
Thank you!
I just put a stone path through a new rose garden, and want to put Irish Moss around the stones. This was very educational. Thank you very much for the info! Subscribed 😁
I'm glad you liked it. I'm in the process of doing a follow-on video about caring for Irish Moss. I should be done in a week or so. Keep a look out for it!
Beautiful garden, well taught video
Thank you. That is kind of you to say.
Hi Rosanne, thank you for your experience. I live in Milan and I hope my little Irish moss grows as beautifully as yours!
Greetings to Milan! I love that Irish Moss can grow in so many different places around the world. Good luck! 🌿
Rosanne,,, probably one of the most beautiful gardens I have seen.
Everything looks soft natural and unforced with an imaginative lack of the obligatory plastic that is so popilar today.
Best wishes from Ireland! Ray
Hi Ray and Greetings to Ireland! Thank you for those very kind words! It is so rewarding to share my garden through videos. Thanks for watching and for commenting!
Rosanne
Beautiful garden! 😍
Thanks for visiting
Your one of my inspiration about moss garden. I will try to make my own design using your tips and ideas about moss. Thanks for sharing...
That is so very nice to hear! Making your own garden design and including Irish Moss in your plans is the way to do it! It's a good look. 🌿
I love this and now I need to find some!!
I certainly enjoy growing it and I hope you will too!
Binge watching all ur videos with afternoon tea. That knife and shovel is so cute!
How great is that! I love the idea of watching gardening videos (especially mine 😉) while having afternoon tea. Sounds delightful!
Thank u so much for this video. I'm ordering some right now to put between my stepping stones
You are so welcome. Good luck! And, if you haven't already, be sure to watch Part 2 for so more information.
Your hostas are gorgeous!
Great job on this video!
Thank you! It was one of my first videos.
Great Irish moss, love how you teleport in between video cuts :)
😄 Glad you like the Irish Moss!
Stunning garden. Would love just to sit a while ❤️
Thank you. 🌹
Beautiful! I feel is much better than the grass! Very nice garden!
Thank you! The Irish moss is quite lovely, and I believe it is worth the extra effort.
your garden is fabulous
Thank you so much!
It’s so beautiful.
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Subscribed. Your gardens look amazing. I inspire to have such a beautiful yard as yours!
Thank you! I'm so glad you are enjoying the channel! 🌹🌿☺️
This is a great video with some very useful tips. I am hoping to fill in some of our backyard area between the flagstones we have to walk on. This will be my first time trying to grow Irish moss but I think with your tips it will do fine. I don't have a sharp tool for cutting the moss into strips, so I think I'll look into investing in a tool for this purpose. Thanks for sharing your expertise, and your garden is beautiful!
Thank you! Glad you found the video useful! I love that people are trying Sagina subulata. All the best!
Bravo GF! 👏❤️😍
Thank you Stephanie! 🌷🌹🌻🌼🌲
OMG, your video has me so inspired. I'm jealous!
I'm so glad! Do I see Irish Moss in your future? 😉
So happy I found your channel :-)
Oh, Thank you. That is very kind. Although, winter will be a slow time for the channel.
Very informative, thank you
I'm happy that you found it useful. Good luck with your Irish Moss!
That’s amazing success! Congratulations
Thank you!! I have always nurtured my Sagina. It's been my special little plant.
Very informative thank you 😊
Thank you!
You present very well.
Thank you.
Very well done. Thank you.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Why the heck would anyone dislike this video? Great video 👍
Thank you! That is kind.
Hi Rosanne! Thank you for replying to my comment on your other video. So helpful! I was growing Irish moss on my boulevard rain garden a few years ago but it died out. It had partial shade.
Hi Anita. Sorry to hear about your Irish Moss dying. In my experience it loves partial shade and consistently moist soil. If it was a rain garden, it may have had too much water as it doesn't like being water logged. Just a thought. Glad you are enjoying the videos!
@@RosannesGarden Dearest Rosanne! Thank you for this reply. You are right. I think my moss got way too much water. I am loving your videos and I hope we can meet one day!
Very helpful !
😊
wow - looks beautiful! I just bought a few of these & am going to put them in this weekend- I am not a fan of grass and this looks just like what I'm looking for in a small "trouble" section
Thank you! Have fun on your project!
Lovely use of Sagina, here in Ireland it pops up everywhere on its own particularly in sandy places where the drainage is good as we have constant rainfall throughout the year. I've seen it in great swathes close to the ocean on very sandy soil. I usually grow it in terracotta pots so it drains better!
Greetings to Ireland! It is such a lovely plant. It draws the eye to it. I've been meaning to grow some in a pot too, as an outdoor centerpiece of sorts. Maybe next summer. 🌹
Without constant rainfall, in a terra cotta - clay pot, one would have to water it several times a day, I should think. Even zonal geraniums start panting in terra cotta pots where I live in the northeast U.S.
thanks Rosannes. Excited to plant Irish moss as a mulch on the sides of my walkway
I wish you all the luck! I'm sure it will be beautiful.
Beautiful!! Thanks!!
Thank you very much!
Very excited to plant it in my house to move over. I couldnt have proper informations from Korean youtubers because the moss is quite new plant here. Let me try. Thank you.
Best of luck! Happy to be of help!
I love 💗Irish Moss
So do I!
Hi Rosanne. I'm 66 years old and have never, ever seen anyone with the name Rosanne who spells it this way. I asked my mother when I was young why she spelled my name Ros instead of Rose and she said she found it spelled that way in a book of names. To this day, people look twice before they say it, as if it's been misspelled. Thank you for the video. I love your garden.
Thank you! I guess the unusual spelling is why I was able to snag both the RUclips channel "Rosannes Garden" and my blog url: RosannesGarden.com
I was pleasantly surprised that they were both available.
thanks for the info!
Glad you found the video helpful.
Thank you
You're welcome
Best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪
🙂🌷. Thanks for watching!
i like this
Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching.
Greetings to meet us plant lovers from Indonesia❤❤❤
Greetings to Indonesia! Isn't it wonderful how the love of plants can unite people around the world...
Hi northern neighbor...SW MInnesota here. 23 years into my crazy yard. Taking on the moss challenge this year. I got rid of the last of my grass last year...all be it a tiny pass along the alley and a few strips along the street...no grass...all landscaped including a 4,000 gallon pond I put in 10 years ago now. Rich history with this converted and then currently remodeling it to look like a tiny home/cottage (it was also a square dance hall and a country school 150 years ago.) I am currently creating a sort of 1800's inspired kitchen with a 6 burned cooktop kitchen island thingy and ceiling drop down pasta rack...and so much more.
I am actually thinking about collecting a few wheelbarrow full of wild moss tomorrow.
Greetings to a fellow Minnesotan! Your place sounds amazing; truly unique. After years of working on something, it's fun to see it come together. All the best with your creative endeavors.
Rosannes Garden
My moss transplant went well this year.... so glad I did it.
Such a fascinating video. I'm in Zone 6b : -5 to 0 (F) Thank you.
I'm in Zone 4. The Irish Moss should do quite well in Zone 6 as long as you pay attention to the moisture. Your sun is hotter than up here and the moss will need to be watered regularly, especially until it is well established.
mam your garden is awasome
Thank you very much. I'm so glad you enjoy it!
Love your video, just planted some pint sized plugs along side my fish pond. Looking to do a larger area, 100 sqft, curious how long will it take the moss to fill in if I do 6" spacing vs 12" spacing?
Sounds lovely! How fast the Irish Moss spreads will be a function of conditions. As long as it gets enough sun and moisture, I would estimate that you would speed things up by a year or two with the 6" spread. Not sure if I mentioned it in the video, but all of my moss is the result of a dozen plugs (1" square) that I planted many years ago. Best of luck!
Great video and your garden is beautiful. What’s the name of the blooming yellow plant behind you at 5:36 please?
Ah, one of my favorite plants. It is Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’ (Golden Glow). Laciniata means "cut out leaves", which makes this plant different from many other Rudbeckias. In my climate, it blooms from mid-July through mid-September. I got it from my Grandmother's garden over thirty years ago. It prospers well and I divide it every three years. It is commonly called the "out house plant" because people planted it around their out houses back in the day. However, my husband and I prefer to call it "Grandma's plant". It makes great cut flowers too.
Where did you get those stones? Your garden it’s perfectly beautiful!
They are Sandy Creek Sandstone from a local natural stone dealer. I'm so pleased you like them. There are many other beautiful natural stones out there. Perhaps mined close to where you live. I am so pleased you enjoyed the tour. Thanks for watching!
Appreciate your post. Could you recommend a good on-line suppler of Moss
Thank you Sara. I wish I could help, but I cannot recommend any online nursery because I have not used any in many, many years. However, I see there are a few out there. Also, more and more garden centers are beginning to carry it . One earlier comment from a viewer said she got some at Wal-Mart. I was surprised. It seems to be catching on, which it deserves 🌿. Good luck with the hunt!
I want to be your friend, pity I live so far away, love the same things as you, own a magical garden and just ordered some Irish Moss seeds, due to your lovely video demonstration. My lawn is small, partly shady and I used Baby Tears to grow between pavers, which looks great, but will try your suggestion. Greetings to you from rainy (at the moment) England
Greetings to England! I wish you all the best with your Irish Moss! Baby Tears are quite lovely; I'm glad you're giving Irish Moss a try. I'm working on a follow up video to this one. Look for it in a week or two!
ok so Rosannes super pretty
Glad you enjoyed it . Irish Moss is a very cool plant.
Your garden is lovely. I'm wondering if you ever use landscape fabric. If not, how do you keep weeds under control? I am constantly battling Bermuda grass in the beds across the back of our home. Do you have any suggestions regarding this problem?
Thank you. I do not use landscape fabric. It dos seem like I am weeding all of the time. I do find it meditative (fortunately 😊). I have several tools that I use, including a nice, long-handled weeder and two hand-held weeders. I am thinking about doing a video on my favorite tools. I do agree that grass is the worst. If it gets really bad, I have (carefully) sprayed it with weed and grass killer. Or, wait until a heavy rain is over, and try pulling it. All the best in gardening!
Great video, thank you! And you have a wonderful garden, very jealous, but in North Texas it's hard to compete with upper zones. I have a question too... I want to put moss in between pavers. I will put decomposed granite between the pavers, to help hold them in place. Can you tell me, how much or how deep does the soil need to be over the aggregate in order to grow and sustain the moss? Thank you for any advice.
I understand that decomposed granite drains very well (although I have no experience with it). That is very good, as Irish Moss struggles if it is too wet, or sits in puddles. All that said, the roots grow to about two inches deep. Young plants have much shallower roots. In order for it to spread, it will need surrounding soil to grow into. I don't know how valid this is, but I do believe earthworms help keep my Irish Moss healthy through their cultivation skills. Decomposed granite could impact that kind of activity. It might also impact the pH of the soil. I have alkaline soil and the Irish Moss seems happy. I am only speculating on the worms, however.
I have nothing but soil underneath the pavers, so I cannot speak to experience. It sounds like it should work if your soil is deep enough.
Good Luck!
Why aren't you luxuriating in a genUine northern Texas garden and plants.
Your garden is exquisite. The tool that you used to divide and cut up the moss looks real handy - could you tell me where you got it? Thanks
Hi, it is a very handy tool, especially for dividing many other perennials too. I have seen it called a perennial spade most often. Here's a link to just one version on Amazon www.amazon.com/Burgon-Ball-GTB-SPSRHS-Stainless/dp/B00751FBJ2
Ours was a different brand (dutch made) and we got it online. Here's a link to that brand sneeboer.com/en/garden-tools/our-collections-garden-tools/spade-en
@@RosannesGarden Thank you
Very good video! I have some older Irish Moss and I have a weed problem. I have a clover type weed pooping through my moss which I is fairly thick. I have tried to control by pulling but not to successful. I have started to use scissors to clip off these weeds, just wondering if you had any suggestions on controlling?
Other plants invading Irish Moss can be a problem. My best suggestion, based on how severe the problem is, is to totally eradicate the patch of both the invasive and the moss. Sometimes, I do just start over in an area. My biggest problem is real moss (the kind that grows on trunks of trees) invading the Irish Moss. When it gets bad enough, I pull out the entire patch. Good luck!
Rosanne
Rosannes Garden thanks for the reply.
Hi! I have a question about your flagstone walkway and patio. We are looking to do something very similar in our yard and would
like to put Irish moss in between! When you all installed it, did you use paver base and sand underneath or just soil? I’m concerned that the Irish moss will not have enough soil to grow in if we use the sand and paver base. Any suggestions?
That is a great question. Because I like the rustic look of slightly uneven natural stone and I love the moss, we did not use any sand or paver base anywhere in our yard. My husband does use dry, sifted soil to help level out the stones (it almost acts as sand for installation purposes.) If, however, we were installing brick, or concrete pavers, we would have used gravel, sand, and a compacting machine for a nice, crisp and uniform look. But then, there would be no room for Irish Moss.
Irish moss does need good drainage. For that, sand would probably be OK, but the compacted paver base would definitely be a problem. Hope that helps. All the best!
great video! thanks!
do you know if moss can propagate if there is mulch around it?
Hi, I had a similar question from another viewer. Here's what I said to her, " Mulch in between the plants shouldn't be cause for the little plants to choke -- unless the mulch drifts onto the plants due to wind or rain. However, the mulch ultimately will get in the way of the Irish Moss spreading. Good luck!!"
Amazing. I want to do my entire small-back yard with irregular stepping stones and moss. What do you have under your stones?
Your plan sounds beautiful. We have only basic soil underneath our stones. If you put down compacted gravel first, the moss will probably not grow. My husband uses very dry, sifted garden soil and then pushes the stone down into place. This helps eliminate gaps or pockets under the rough, craggy, (beautiful) natural stone.
@@RosannesGarden Wow okay! that's exactly what I wanted to hear! Thank you! Do you find weeding to be a nightmare? I'm going to a no grass lawn alternative but don't want to spend the rest of my life weeding an entire back yard by hand. Thank you again!
@@garbv1773 Hi Greg,
I actually find weeding to be very meditative. That said, there is a limit to how much I like it ;-)
You will need to keep on top of it. I don't know your area, nor the surrounding landscape. If, for example, you lived next to a wilderness area, weeding could become an issue. If you live next to manicured lawns, probably not so much.
So, the answer is "It depends."
Sorry I couldn't be more definitive!
All the best on your project!
Rosanne
P.S., I use a tool called a "seed trowel" to help me. It's made for seedlings, but I find it invaluable for weeding and tending to the moss between flagstones. Burgeon and Ball make it.
Hello! I just bought some Irish moss pods but haven't planted them yet, but I'm very excited! I was wondering a few things, 1) does your moss get/handle foot traffic well? 2) do you have any tips for planting?
Thank you!
Hi, Glad to hear you are trying out Irish Moss! Established (a year or more) Irish Moss can handle foot traffic just fine...as long as it is not constantly underfoot. Even grass doesn't really like that. In between cracks is just fine, because people mostly step on the stones. As far as tips for planting, I do a segment on that in my Irish Moss Part 2 video that you might find useful. Here's a link: ruclips.net/video/ZjsgjgSQkoE/видео.html
Good luck with your project! I wish you and your Sagina subulata all the best! 🌿
Really nice video! In a Zone 4 as well, Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, and I have a 100 square foot plot in my backyard I really wanted to make all irish moss with a few small trees mixed in. I bought maybe $30 worth of irish moss pods from Steins, and only a few survived! The one's that did survive lost are about half the size they were last year. I'm not sure if it was a watering issue (probably not enough) or a pH issue, but my dreams of my all irish moss plot seem to be on hold. I just planted 10,000 irish moss seeds in pods to start in doors, and am somewhat skeptical if any will germinate as the reviews online for all the irish moss seeds seem to have incredibly poor germination rates. Any advice to keep my irish moss that is growing alive and healthy? On a side note, I bought creeping thyme as different ground cover, and it seems to be doing very well, and the germination rate under my grow lights have been amazing! I like creeping thyme too for the beautiful bloom, but I just really really like the simple beauty of irish moss!
Sorry to hear about your Irish Moss challenges! Fluffy, newly-sprouted Irish moss (the kind most likely you purchased) does need TLC until it's a bit "grown up." That would definitely include keeping it evenly moist and protected from lots of direct sun. I have found partial shade to be ideal. Once it matures, and becomes more mat-like, it is much hardier and self seeds to propagate on its own. My pH is on the alkaline side at approximately 7.0, so if you have very acidic soil, that could be an issue. That said, I have never seen anywhere what pH Sagina subulata prefers, but it does thrive in my yard. I'd be very curious how your seed starting works out. If you try plugs again and have grow lights, I might suggest you keep them indoors and baby them for a while. Then, take care when hardening them off for the outdoors. Plants from nurseries may not have been hardened enough to be planted outdoors right away. I've tried thyme too, but have not had it overwinter as well. Good luck and all the best! (ps, I grew up near Milwaukee!)
I miss Steins. 😭😭😭😭
Rosannes Garden I could detect an accent right away. 😋
Wonderful video rosanne. How do you pull weeds from a mossy area without destroying the moss itself?
Glad you liked the video! As to weeds, I try to catch them when they are small enough so that the roots of the weeds do minimal damage when pulled. However, when the weeds do get larger or I encounter a dandelion which needs to be dug out, I use a knife or a thin seed trowel and try to be very careful. I then fill the small hole with nearby soil. Sometimes the Irish Moss looks "spotted" with the dime-sized patches of soil, but the Irish Moss quickly fills in. Hope this helps.
Rosannes Garden excellent! I will try these suggestions tonight Thank you!
I was told by a friend that a buttermilk solution (half water and half buttermilk) is a good fertilizer for moss. She had a beautiful moss lawn in her shaded backyard. I'm in zone 8
Hi, I have relatively good soil so I have not needed to fertilize my Irish Moss. Whenever I move some around, or start a new area, I use fresh soil. I have heard of the buttermilk mixture to both encourage propagation and increase health of moss. However, I believe that the buttermilk solution may be more applicable to what I call "real moss", the plant that prospers in deep shade, likes lots of moisture and can also grow on trees and roofs. Despite the superficial similarity between Irish Moss and real Moss (Bryophyta division), they are not related, other than they are both in the plant kingdom. Real moss has a totally different vascular and reproductive system than herbaceous perennials, such as Irish Moss (Sagina subulata). Irish Moss belongs to the Caryophyllaceae family, as do its cousins Dianthus and Baby's Breath.
I heard that yogurt works as well
I do not believe the "moss solution" as I have heard it be call, with the buttermilk , yogurt, or any other creamy concoction. I have been experimenting with moss' for a little while now, and have never had that method work. Time, moisture, not too much direct light, and most moss while do fine. I have tried trace people back to whom have had success, and so far, it's been hearsay, or "I don't recall." Anyway, I'm a moss maniac now, and Bravo to Rosannes Garden, have like IM since first learning of it. All she has said, is spot on to what I find with IM I have propagated. Although, I am jealous, don't have as much...........yet! ;)
I have learned so much from your videos! I’m a new homeowner/landscaper & I am planning on transferring 6 Irish moss plants into my stepping stone garden. Will the moss grow right up against the lawn? Will the lawn prevent the Irish moss from spreading? I’m not sure what to expect in the areas where the moss & the grass meet up… Thank you so much!
Actually, I believe I saw in your part 2 a nice grassy area up against your flagstone. So perhaps it’s ok to grow side by side. Thank you for your informative videos. Beautiful garden!
Hi Keely,
I definitely grow grass up against flagstone with Irish Moss in between the flagstone. But.... my issue is grass creeping into the Irish Moss, not the other way around. Grass is much stronger and aggressive than Irish Moss and will always bully out the Irish Moss (in my experience). I do regularly pull up the grass that begins to invade the Irish Moss on the borders. The other thing is grass that is left to seed (inevitable for those edges that the mower may not get). Once grass takes hold in Irish Moss, even a tuft here and there, it is difficult to get it out. So, my long-winded answer is that it all works, if you stay on top of keeping the grass out of the Irish Moss. If you don't, you may have a patchy problem. Putting in some type of in-ground barrier or edging that prohibits the grass from creeping into the moss would be a big help.
Good luck!
WOW! :)
😄
I bought some Irish moss at Walmart today for my son’s fairy garden. We are in zone 7 (arkansas). I’m putting the moss in a flower bed with annual flowers and it gets about 6 hours of sun starting in the morning. How often do you think I should water the moss? And will they take over the other flowers?
Sounds lovely! My rule of thumb is to start with water every other day and adjust as necessary. The soil should never feel completely dry, especially when the moss is young and trying to take hold. It also depends on temperature. If it's hot, a daily watering may be necessary. Regarding your second question, the Irish moss may eventually seed itself among the flowers, but I have never had it take over any other plant. In general, I would say that Irish Moss is more likely to be on the receiving end of invasion.
Best of luck!
Rosanne
Hello! Thanks for this video. I purchased Irish Moss seeds on ebay. Could you tell me how should I start? I hope you can answer me. Thanks from Chile
I'm glad to hear you are giving Irish Moss a try. I would recommend starting the seeds in a controlled environment. I'd use little cell packs and a tray. Wet the potting soil (I'd purchase this, or you could make your own) before planting the seeds. Do not cover the seeds, but gently press them into the soil so that they will not move around. I'd also water them from the bottom until they germinate. In other words, pour water in the tray that the cell packs are sitting in. Keep the germinated plants moist, but not too wet. When they have fuzz about an inch tall, I'd plant them outside. If I had plants that were an inch by an inch, I'd plant them about six inches to one foot apart. Check them regularly and keep them moist until established. You could also direct sow them into the ground using the same care. I'd gently work up the soil first before scattering the seeds. In the beginning, they need to stay moist, so check on them often. They should be quite established before subjecting to a cold winter, so I'd start in spring. Good Luck!!
Rosannes Garden thank you very much for the information. It’s very sweet from you. I will try tomorrow. God bless you:)
thanks so much we are moving to Texas any luck in growing it there?
Sagina subulata should be hardy down to USDA Zone 10, although I do not have any experience with warm zones. If you do try it, I'd be careful about how much sun it gets, as Texas sun will be more intense than here in Minnesota. All the best.
Hello again. I have sandmat growing on my Irish Moss and I've tried picking them off. Unfortunately, these invasive sandmat is taking over. I don't how to control and get rid of them. I'm afraid to use chemicals that might harm the Irish Moss. Can you please provide some extremely needed advice for this issue. Thank you in advance.
Hi! Sorry to hear about the invasive sandmat! My solution is to try pulling them up, root and all. I find that if I water first (just for a few minutes), I can pull up those nasty weeds quite easily. I would stay away from chemicals. I know this will take time, but you do get immediate results.
I wish I had an easier solution for you.
Hey! I have a question. Last year in early summer i planted my Irish moss on my terrace. I have a big terrace, that is framed in flower beds that are deep maybe 15cm. So, it's not that deep. It spread really fast, it was deep green color and had small white flowers, but then, while approaching real autumn (I live in Europe, zone 7a), it started going brown. It dried completely! I thought until few days ago that it was an annual plant, so I thought it dried on its own. But, now i'm really confused on why it didn't live. 😯 It was in such a position that has full sun from maybe 4pm to 7pm, before and after that it's in half shade. I watered it normally, it grew pretty fast. So my question is, how does this plant look after warm part of the year; does it die and come back in spring (as the leaves on branches) or it is always green? Because, if it did die completely, im not sure why. I have two theories: 1) my flower bed is not deep enough
2) snow doesn't really cover all of my terrace. It is possible that it did not cover the moss at all, but i don't really remember...so can this be a problem?
Thanks!
First of all, I'm sorry to hear about your Irish Moss. Unfortunately, what has happened to your moss is not normal in my experience. Mine stays green(ish) year round, even in winter when there is no snow cover. Of course the Irish Moss becomes bright green once the ground gets warmer. Your conditions sound ideal. I also would think that 15 cm should be deep enough. So, that's the puzzle. Is there good drainage below the 15 cm? For example, if the Irish Moss's roots were sitting in water too long, they could definitely die. Or, could the moss have not received enough water? Maybe during a hot spell? Other than moisture issues, I am stumped.
Or, did it go brown in any particular pattern? I have had a fungus that manifested itself in brown circles and rings on the moss. Any way, all the best. I do hope you try it again this year.
Was it getting no moisture? Did it dry up and blow away? Did you try watering it? Did you wait until Spring to see if it came back?
It’s attractive but I tend to use true moss as I find the Irish moss too vigorous. Do you do any control of it like cutting it back?
Hi! Perhaps it's our Zone 4 climate, or our soil, but I have never needed to cut it back. I encourage Irish Moss (Sagina subulata) as much as possible. When it self-seeds in flower beds, I leave it alone to create a living mulch of sorts. You must have ideal conditions. I find that real moss and Sagina subulata prefer different envirnoments; where I have real moss (shady areas), Irish moss doesn't grow well and visa versa.
Great question, thanks for asking.
Thanks for the video! A question - does Irish moss attracts bees when it's blooming?
Glad you liked it! I'm sure the tiny flowers attract some very small pollinators, but I've not noticed what they are. Now, I'm curious 🤔. I'll take a closer look when they bloom next summer.
I just planted a large area with irish moss with 2" plants from the nursery. I mulched in-between the plugs. Is this good?...or am I "choking" them? They don't seem to be doing as well as I had expected.
Young plants do take time to adjust. Keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Established moss can get by with water every other day, but new plants may need more, depending on how much sun they get. Mulch in between the plants shouldn't be cause for the little plants to choke -- unless the mulch drifts onto the plants due to wind or rain. However, the mulch ultimately will get in the way of the Irish Moss spreading. Good luck!!
What level of shade can irish moss tolerate? We have two mature chinese chestnut trees and they keep anything we got from growing. Thanks for the video!
Hi, thanks for watching! Irish Moss cannot handle a lot of shade. I have tried growing it in a shady area and it cannot compete with "real" moss. I really do not recommend growing it in conditions that offer less than 2 to 3 hours of sunlight. Your experience may differ, but that's mine. Sorry I can't be more encouraging. I'm sure the trees are stunning. Have you tried Pachysandra? It seems to grow well in shade, although I have none myself.
@@RosannesGarden Haha it's no problem! Nature is what nature is! I haven't but I will now! I'll try that out and give you a shout if I can get it to stick :P
What if you want to use Irish moss in place of grass in the front lawn? Would it require mowing? Or does it never grow tall enough for a cut?
Hi, Sagina subulata never grows more than an inch, so no mowing. It does require regular tending, however, such as weeding and cleaning. I'd consider it higher maintenance than turf. That said, it sure would be beautiful!
Hi! Where can we buy irish moss? I just got a bag of sunny/shade moss and planted according instructions which was to leave it in 1 gallon of water and pour it on my area. I am not sure of I did it right - thank you!
Hi, I've seen Irish Moss for sale at more specialized nurseries around Minneapolis. You could also look at some online nurseries. Good luck! Sorry I can't be of help on your instructions. I am not familiar with it.
So it does need sunlight! I have another species so I was wondeting how many hours, I let it be 4 hrs to star, thanks!
Yes, In my experience, I would say 4 hours of sun would be about ideal.
Had excellent luck with seeds in zone 7
That is great to know. Thanks for sharing.
May I ask, where did you buy the seeds? thank you.
beautiful garden! Which area are you located?
Thank youi! I'm in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USDA Zone 4.
Never knew it's called Irish moss!
I've seen people grow some thing that looks like grass but not grass we typical see with along edges of a stone layout because of their thinner, more delicate leaves and they seem to dry easily in hot weather.
Now you know! The botanical name is Sagina subulata. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Last year I decided to have irish moss in my garden. It was interesting to grow it from seeds, but I was constantly worriing - what if I'm doing smth wrong, what if this or that... Once I even dropped the container with the seedlings... The funny thing is - when I was planting it, I saw that we already have A LOT of irish moss in the shadowy part of the garden. I've never noticed it before))
Funny how things work out. Glad to hear it!
To have real joy gardening, it is important to understand that gardening is a process with a never-ending learning curve and a lot of luck. To become constantly worried instead of expectant, and a que sera sera approach is not good for you.
I’m thinking of establishing a moss path, how do you ensure there are no weeds and that it had the best start in life?
It certainly is a good look. I would say that using good soil is a very important start. If you have clay or sandy soil, I might suggest you buy "Garden Soil" from a nursery and use that as the base. Are you planting between stones? If so, you could scrape out the old soil and put in the new soil. It will have plenty of nutrients, so I wouldn't add fertilizer or anything else. The new Irish Moss will need regular moisture, especially as it is trying to establish itself. Those are my best tips. All the best!