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How To Grow Moss Between Flagstones
If you have a shady area in your garden that is too moist for grass, you might want to consider growing moss between the flagstones. It will create a beautiful patio. Below is a guide on growing moss between flagstones.
Growing moss between dry-set flagstone in a shady area is a natural combination. Left alone it happens on its own, but it takes years. Laying moss into the joints and watering it brings that down to a few months.
TIP: We have also written an article about How To Grow Moss Between Pavers.
As with any ‘mosscaping’, the desire is to speed up the very slow process. Transplanting mosses into the spaces between the flagstones and following a regular watering schedule can establish healthy colonies in a few months.
The substrate decides this, not the moss. Sand and stone dust shift, so moss cannot anchor and takes years to hold. Swap the top inch for soil in the joints first. Then sheet moss in shade, Sun Moss where the stones catch more than about four hours of direct sun. For a long run of joints a moss milkshake goes further than sheets.
See moss milkshakes and starters · live moss by the square foot
Choose The Right Moss
Be sure to use pleurocarps and a soil substrate between the stones, especially if the stones were set in sand or stone dust.Use Bryum, which we sell as Sun Moss, if the flagstones sit in moderate or full sun. Sheet moss will be the best choice if your garden is in a shady area.
Harsh Conditions
Even though mosses can eventually colonize a sandy substrate, it is usually after many years of detritus collecting and compaction before the mosses can overcome the shifting of the loose sandy substrate.
Mosses often colonize in harsh conditions where other plants find it difficult, which is why they have survived on this earth for so long. A small strip of soil in a sea of stone or concrete has become the expected home for mosses and where most of us recognize them.
However, this natural combination usually occurs over many years or decades while we aren’t watching. Achieving this feat successfully can be as challenging as creating a moss lawn.
Watering
The little micro-climate between flagstones can provide shelter and rapidly changing moisture conditions, so pay close attention to a frequent watering schedule to ensure the best establishment.
Treating The Moss
As always with moss, patience is a necessity and even if it looks like some of the moss has gone south, continue to treat it as though it hasn’t. It only takes a few spores or living cells for mosses to regenerate as long as there is moisture to allow growth.
Shaded joints suit sheet and carpet moss; sunny ones need Bryum.
Pending review by Olivia Milner, practitioner-scientist with a background in sustainability and education.