Gardening on Cloud 9 » Moss

Tabletop Garden – In the Wonderland

Sandy — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:56:03 +0000

This moss garden – In the Wonderland – has bought me so much joy. From collecting moss in public park to choosing the right garden container, from making sand art in between the soil mix to cutting up my bracelet, necklaces and earrings, it has been an unexpectedly fun, dare-to-try experience. While I love my moss garden, it is definitely the process that I enjoyed the most.

I didn’t have much success with the moss that I dug in Tai Po. The moss stayed pale green and had never grown into a thick, emerald green, spongy carpet (middle) as I hoped for. But luckily, I found some beautiful moss in the garden of my bonsai instructor (left: the moss in the red bowl is taken from the bonsai garden). And yes, of course I asked for permission before picking the moss in his garden

To decorate my garden, instead of spending money on some beads and stones, I checked my closet and picked a few necklaces and accessories that I had put aside and never used for years. And these are what I’ve found.

A gigantic light-orange butterfly, some black giraffes, a crystal blue flower-shaped lake, a pale white laughing Buddha, “Wonderland” was the very first word came to my mind when I was trying to think up a name for my moss garden.

Here are more posts about moss.

Moss Loves Beer

Sandy — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:01:17 +0000

There was some beer leftover from making moss slurry for my moss graffiti last week. So, instead of wasting the beer, I diluted the beer, and have kept feeding my moss with it for the past few days. And guess what! My moss loves it! I bet it’s like a consecutive days of beer fest for my moss

The moss has grown into a much greener patch during its beer fest. However, this beer fest will soon be over for there isn’t much beer left. And due to the cost, I definitely won’t keep up feeding my moss with beer all the time. But after learning how much moss loves acidic environment, I am now set to get some acidic soil for my moss.
Here how my moss looked when I just brought it home.

The pH test paper strips show that tap water has a pH of 7, while the diluted beer has a pH of 5. Generally, moss prefers acidic soil with a pH between 5 and 6.

Instead of Moss, I Got Mold

Sandy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:07:42 +0000

When I went to the balcony and checked my moss graffiti this morning, I found no moss, but only mold, lots of mold! And besides the mold, the container of moss slurry has started to smell too.

Come to the end of it, the yogurt-and-beer moss slurry has already been sitting out on the balcony for more than two hot summer days. After some research, it seems that it is expected to have mold on the surface of the mixture. And it takes around 6 weeks to see signs of moss. 6 weeks! This surely is a test of patience.

While I have found no mold on the moss slurry that are on the wooden boards, all three of them were all dried up when I checked them on the balcony this morning. So, to keep them moist, I have sprayed them with lots of water.

My First Moss Graffiti

Sandy — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:02:36 +0000

After days of preparation (researching on moss graffiti, collecting necessary ingredients and tools, thinking up a cool graffiti design, etc), I have finally made my first few moss graffiti with some moss slurry.

Thru some research, I have learned that while certain moss can grow only on soil, some others can grow only on hard surfaces. Since I am making moss graffiti on wood, it is wise to get moss from a hard surface as well. In this case, I have chosen the moss that grows on a slanted wall outside my apartment complex (I actually didn’t notice that there is moss growing on the slant until now… ).

For more or less, I followed the moss slurry recipe posted in Heavy Petal (thanks to the Modern Gardener for giving me the moss slurry recipe link). I used plain yogurt and beer instead of buttermilk and water. And I used less than 2 cups of each for a thick mixture, so to have the mixture stay on the wood in a shape that I have especially designed for my graffiti.

As an experience, I have made 3 moss graffiti with 3 types of moss mixture. For the first one, I just put a thick layer of the moss slurry on top of the wood. For the second one, I added a layer of ceramic clay on the wood before putting the moss slurry. For the third one, I put a thick layer of moss slurry that was made with moss that grows in soil.

I dipped a few of my miniaturize furniture into the leftover moss slurry. Then, I poured all the rest into a container.

I have placed my moss graffiti in a shady area on my balcony.

So, let’s see what will happen! Can’t wait!

Moss Graffiti – A Living Art That Brings Life to the City

Sandy — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:42:41 +0000

While I was researching on how to cultivate moss, I found something very cool! Moss Graffiti! Have you heard of it or seen it in your neighborhood before? If you live in Philadelphia, you might have seen some last year in the Market East Station, as well as the Transportation Museum.

Here is related article in inhabitat – Philly Goes Green with Moss Installation by Edina Tokodi.

This is inspiring. Moss graffiti is a great way to bring the nature closer to the city, where the dwellers are often too busy with their day-to-day lives and don’t find time to slow down and appreciate the nature. Maybe a living and playful art like moss graffiti can catch some attention of these city dwellers while they are on their way to work or to their children’s nurseries. And remind them that in order to enjoy nature, there is no need of a garden or a day trip to the botanical park. All we need is to slow down our pace a little, and we will find the nature is, in fact, all around us.

Here is an interesting post in Environmental Graffiti featuring 20 masterpieces of green graffiti, as well as introducing two moss graffiti artists, Edina Tokodi and Anna Garforth, and a recipe for growing our own moss graffiti (which I surely will give it a try ).

Moss graffiti in Brooklyn, New York by Edina Tokodi

A vertical garden on the side of Caixa Madrid by Patrick Blanc

I Want Some Moss!

Sandy — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:28:42 +0000

I have been interested in making a moss garden since the very first day I started making tabletop gardens. With the decoration of a few stones, sticks, and a small plant or two placed on top of a carpet of moss, I can imagine myself creating a fun, modern version of a bonsai garden.

I have had this fun idea in mind for so long. Yet, I couldn’t kick start the project for I wasn’t able to find the number one essential ingredient of this garden – the moss.

So, last weekend, with the suggestion of my bonsai class instructor, I took the train to Tai Po, and along the Lam Tsuen River at somewhere near the Tai Po Waterfront Park, I dug out some moss

Yes, I know this is bad. I shouldn’t dig in an area of public property. Even though I was digging in a place where moss growth was probably undesired, nevertheless, I am guilty as charged. But trust me, this is my last resort. For months, I have been trying to find a shop that has mosses for sale. But only that I couldn’t find any. Apparently, the gardening stores and flower shops in Hong Kong don’t sell mosses.

Since mosses love damp, shady area, I put my mosses under the small table in my balcony, and spray water on them every once a while.

Comparing the photos I took on Day 1 and Day 6, the difference is minimal. Now, I am wondering how long it will take the moss to grow into beautiful emerald green.