I have been asked on several occasions about how I grow moss on my bonsai. Several facts about growing moss on may be of help.

Getting the Right Moss
1. For outdoor bonsai select some moss that is "sun moss". The best is the silvery gray-green one that grows in the cracks between chunks of sidewalk in your town. Do not use moss from the darkest spots in the forest as this will die on your bonsai in a week or two. Sidewalk or sun moss will tolerate sun and dehydration and bounce right back.

2. If you cannot find sun moss then get some moss from a friend whose bonsai grow in the sun. Make sure that this moss actually grows on his bonsai.

Transplanting the Moss
3. When transplanting moss break the moss into small pieces of about 1 inch in size and soak in water for several hours. Squeeze the moss flat as a pancake between your fingers and apply using fairly heavy pressure onto the bonsai soil surface.

4. Use a finer soil on the surface of your bonsai pot than you would normally use. A chunky coarse surface soil will not encourage moss to grow. The fines that are sifted out of your regular bonsai mix can be lightly sprinkled onto the soil surface to accommodate some moss.

Moss Maintenance
5. Do not keep continually spray or mist the moss. Moss that remains soaking wet will rot. Allow the moss to dry in between normal watering of the bonsai.

7. Avoid a solid moss surface on your bonsai as it can repel water and make watering your tree very difficult.

8. Many expert bonsai growers only place moss on their trees for a show or for photographs. They then remove the moss to allow the tree to be watered normally. In this case use any moss that is low growing and fine in texture to keep it in scale with your trees.