If you're an avid gardener or just a lover of outdoor spaces, you're no doubt a fan of moss covered spaces! Moss adds a touch of magic and intrigue to any garden, and makes it look that much more lush! Super easy to propagate, moss is actually an amazing plant to have in your garden because it has no known pests AND also stays green throughout winter. If you're looking to learn how to grow your own moss, you've come to the right place! With just a few ingredients (only 2 really!), you can grow your own moss!
How to Grow Your Own Moss – A DIY Gardening Guide
Ingredients:
- A piece of moss from your garden or anywhere else – it can be dead or alive.
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups buttermilk
Tools:
- Blender
- Paint brush
Directions:
- Pour the water and buttermilk into a blender.
- Top with enough moss to fill the blender.
- Blend until you get a milkshake like consistency.
- Paint or pour the mixture over rocks, pots, garden decorations, fences, bricks, trees, or really wherever you'd like your moss to grow!
Upkeep:
For the first few weeks while the moss is growing, use a mister to mist the moss.
If possible, try to keep in the shade.
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Have you tried this yourself or are you repeating stories from the internet?
Michael, we are a team of professional writers and gardeners, so anything we write about is backed by our own experiences 🙂
So to answer your question, yes, we’ve grown our own moss and this guide on how to grow it really does work!
Hi! What about buttermilk going spoiled? Doesn’t it smells? I’m creating mossarium in my living room, so Im afraid of pouring some buttermilk mixture to rocks and let it sour or become moldy. Thank you for your answer. 🙂
Hi Radka,
I’m not too sure about doing this indoors to be honest, as we’ve only tested it outdoors! It shouldn’t be too smelly, but just try with a small piece of moss and see how it fares indoors 🙂
So glad to find experienced and reputable people to advise us. I have some gray moss that hangs from our oak tree. I will def be trying your method. Never knew it could be done! Thank you!
I know, isn’t it just fascinating?! Let us know how it works out for you Cindy 🙂
I know this is a year old. But. It sounds like your talking about Spanish Moss, which is not actually at all in the moss family, it’s a bromeliad. Spanish moss while in the pineapple family, is an air plant. If you don’t have actual moss close to where you live, just order some nice live sheet moss off the internet. you’ll want some that isn’t treated with chemicals as it would be more difficult to propagate. (if I cannot believe the professional writers and gardeners here didn’t spot what you were describing and cautioned you not to waste your… Read more »
The gray moss that hangs from trees is not a moss! It’s a bromeliad, and you just have to fasten a piece of it to whatever branch you want it to grow on and wait. If it is in a good place it will grow!
I’ve seen your recipe but is there any other way to go moss without the buttermilk and blender? I’d like to grow my own moss to cover a kokedoma. I have plenty of moss growing on the ground but I want use it differently.
Suggestions?
Hi Cecilia Fair, I’ve heard of a friend using double cream Greek yoghurt…actually start the growing process outdoors on the shade side of your house using the buttermilk mixture. Whilst the most is becoming established any trace of odours from the buttermilk should have dissipated. Direct sun at the early stage would inhibit/hinder the growth I think. I have two loose bricks on the south side of my house with a covering of moss and I water it every day. If you dont it will dry out. Good luck from beautiful Mpumalanga in South Africa xxx
Wow..going to google that place and see what its like..
Thank you for the way to grow the moss. Very excited to try this in the spring
Hi! Can I use yogurt instead? Is it the same ratio?
Hi Kimberly,
I’m sorry, I don’t know because I’ve never used yogurt before, but it’s worth a try! It sounds like it would work!
What temperature (range) should it be outdoors when trying to do this? Is 50-60 degrees to cold?
Hi Morgan,
For best results, I would wait until the temperature reaches at least 68F.
opps, I should have read this before starting to make more moss. I just painted some outdoors and it’s Fall. I don’t think it will be over 40F tonight. My backyard where there’s no sun, has plenty of moss. I put most of what I made today onto clay pots. hmm I could bring the pots inside, if clear off a place to put them…
How long before you begin to see growth?
Hi Norma,
This all depends on a number of conditions such as climate and humidity, but you should start to see growth within a couple of weeks.
Butter milk and moss quantity.. plz mention
Hi Jenson,
I’m not quite sure I understand your question. For this, you should use 2 cups of buttermilk and 2 cups of water. Then, in a blender, you should add enough moss to fill the rest of the blender.
Does this work on plastic? Such as plastic pots? What about metal fence or T posts?
Once established, does the moss go dormant over winter and come back in spring? Or will this process need to be done every year? I know moss re-establishes on its own each year when on soil, but was not sure about if it can re-established on structures such as pots, statuaries, etc. every year on it own.
Hi Anthony,
It completely depends on whether or not the moss will spread around. If not, it may have to be re-established next year.
Can you bring it inside for the winter? House or garage?
I would like to try this. However I don’t have any moss growing anywhere, where can I purchase the type of moss in the picture. I love the way it looks.
Hi Ginny,
If you can’t find moss for sale at your local nursery, try looking for it online, such as on Amazon 🙂
Appalachian Emporium sells many kinds of mosses and collections of them. I’ve bought a lot for terrariums and am always happy.
Would this work with aquarium moss, such as growing it on driftwood then transferring to a fishtank?.. thanks
Hi Duncan,
Unfortunately, I can’t tell you whether that will work or not since I have not tried it myself, but I would say it’s definitely worth a try! If you do it, let us know how it goes 🙂
How if i don’t have any moss? does the two ingredients here still works to become a moss?
Hi Eloisa,
Unfortunately, you’ll still need some moss – water and buttermilk will not produce moss. You can check out your local wooded area or ask around. Most neighbors and friends will be happy to share a piece of their moss with you 🙂
Hi! I couldn’t get hold of readymade buttermilk so I made buttermilk at home with one cup milk and one tbsp of lemon juice..and mixed the moss with it..do you think it will grow well?
I don’t see why that wouldn’t work Chrisanne!! Let us know 🙂
I can really use moss that is dead or alive? I have seem moss for sale in plastic packages at Michaels. It is dead and will go get but want to make sure I am reading this right. It is fascinating to me. I grow succulents and love the way the moss looks with them so being able to grow my own would be a game changer as I haven’t bought in the past because the cost is so high. Do you have any recommendations as to what moss might grow best in the south? I live in Texas and… Read more »
The moss sold for crafts is preserved and will not work. You can order moss from a nursery.
Lyn, I live in Texarkana, which has hit 100. I have lots of moss growing naturally in the shade and needs to be watered often, in the extreme heat if it’s really dry. It may look kinda dead in winter, but greens up and grows in warm moist temps.
Find some in a forest, scoop it up, put it on some dirt in a pot and grow it indoors if you want. I’ve never used buttermilk, but sounds like it needs the microbes to flourish, just like we need probiotics for our gut health and immune system. Good luck.
Was wondering if would grow in a desert if kept moist
Summer temps reach 115 and higher
is there a way to grow moss without a piece of it
What specific type of moss can I use with this method since there are too many types of moss
Moss…. I’ve heard you can use yogurt to start moss???
Dosent it get dry at the tropical climate dry season ?
Did not know how easy this is to do, Thank you!