Moss found in wild - Orchid Board

fluffylily · #1 07-18-2008, 10:16 AM

There is a lot of moss in the area where I live, especially in the forests and along walls near the rivers. Is it possible to scrape some of this off and take it home to plant into my terrarium? I would be scared of buggies and other creepy crawlies but what really are the risks of doing this if I get a nice "clean" looking one

?

kiki-do · #2 07-18-2008, 11:04 AM

Hi Fluffylily!!!!
I am going to get alot of flack, I'm sure!
First, you want to be picking only Sphagnum Moss. Can you tell which kind of moss that is? I know that the moss you buy is not live moss and has been treated, but I perfer live sphagnum moss that's handpicked by me. What I do is pick after a first frost so most of the bugs are dead anyway. Then I lay it out on newspaper and check it carefully and let it dry out good. I store it through the winter in ziplock baggies and soak what I need as I need it. Live moss has much to offer a plant.
What I've just said will probably go against everyone elses thoughts. It is risky, and there's a chance for some type of infestation. I just think if it's picked and handled very carefully, it's worth it. Just make sure you have the right moss to begin with if you do decide to try it.

kiki-do · #3 07-18-2008, 11:08 AM

I just remembered you asked about moss for a terrarium and not for the plants itself. Duh!

Sorry about that!

Tindomul · #4 07-18-2008, 04:00 PM

I've done it here, but I don't feel comfortable doing it anymore since moss is good for the environment and bad to take it away. In any case, if you are responsible about it, and only take a small amount, it is possible to grow it. First you want to take note of how much water the moss gets. Is it on a rock in a stream, waterfall, near a pond, is it on a slope that floods when it rains etc....... So I suppose the issue is, does it get water every day or only when it rains. Second, you want to observe how much light it gets. Is it located in deep shade, or in relatively bright light? I have found that some moss grows well only in high humidity and bright light. Some grows well for me only when its constantly wet and in bright light. By bright light I mean strong artificial light.
If you have easy access to some one who sells java moss, take that instead as it is easier to keep alive.
Most temperate mosses will die on you after a while because they need a rest period, but will probably come back, just not as pretty as you want it to be. So if you can look for someone who sells tropical moss, thats a better way to go at it.
When planting the moss, i found that the best way to get it to grow is to lightly cover it in wet soil. Let the moss grow out of the soil on its own, don't just plop in your terrarium, it will probably die.

kavanaru · #5 07-18-2008, 04:13 PM

Lilly!!! keep in mind that ALL, ABSOLUTELLY ALL Moss species are protected in Switzerland (and EU). Please do not collect any moss from the wild

I can also tell you that if you are catched with wild collected moss... Depending on the Canton where you are... you can get a HUGE and I mean HUGE fine (A Friend of mine was charged 2500 CHF in Ticino), or even go to Jail for a couple of days...

...and don't forget that you are in Switzerland "and everybody is a policeman!"

I sent you the link to Terrarientechnik - Pflanzen and they sell Moss for a very reasonable price...

Ross · #6 07-18-2008, 04:21 PM

Ramon... Good info. I would never have suspected anyplace was more restricted than Michigan, USA! I am sure there is some reason behind this, but it seems like a small sample wouldn't hurt the environment?

kavanaru · #7 07-18-2008, 04:27 PM

Believe me, Swiss are swiss... They are even worst than germans in these things... e.g. when i painted the wall in my living room green, a neighbor who saw it from her appartment on the building in front of mine, called the police and informed them. Next day I had the police telling me that I amnot allowed to paint the wall in green, because there is a law in CH that states that alll rented appartments MUST be white.... :-)))))) I automatically lost the deposit I had paid for the flat (7000 CHF = approx 7000$)

As per the moss, the reason behind is that many of the moss espcies are endangered, but since most people cannot tell the difference between them, then it has been decided to protect all of them...

fluffylily · #8 07-18-2008, 04:32 PM

Omg! I had no idea that it was illegal and protected. I definitely won't go and take any now. I just noticed it every time that I went out walking and wondered if it was possible to do this or not. Good thing I asked this on the forum first! Thanks for the very helpful information, I will search for it in the link you sent me.

Ross · #9 07-18-2008, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kavanaru

Believe me, Swiss are swiss... They are even worst than germans in these things... e.g. when i painted the wall in my living room green, a neighbor who saw it from her appartment on the building in front of mine, called the police and informed them. Next day I had the police telling me that I amnot allowed to paint the wall in green, because there is a law in CH that states that alll rented appartments MUST be white.... :-)))))) I automatically lost the deposit I had paid for the flat (7000 CHF = approx 7000$)

As per the moss, the reason behind is that many of the moss espcies are endangered, but since most people cannot tell the difference between them, then it has been decided to protect all of them...

Wow! What a disaster! I had no knowledge of something like this. Sorry for the threadjack, folks, but this was really interesting, in a sad way.

fluffylily · #10 07-18-2008, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kavanaru

Believe me, Swiss are swiss... They are even worst than germans in these things... e.g. when i painted the wall in my living room green, a neighbor who saw it from her appartment on the building in front of mine, called the police and informed them. Next day I had the police telling me that I amnot allowed to paint the wall in green, because there is a law in CH that states that alll rented appartments MUST be white.... :-)))))) I automatically lost the deposit I had paid for the flat (7000 CHF = approx 7000$)

As per the moss, the reason behind is that many of the moss espcies are endangered, but since most people cannot tell the difference between them, then it has been decided to protect all of them...

That is truly amazing. I have heard of certain "Swiss" stories like this, but have never experienced it myself yet. I tried recycling some bottles on Sunday and a neighbor yelled at me and said it was "Sonnti!" (Sunday in Swiss German). I also know someone that was getting kicked out of his apartment because it was being torn down, i.e. demolished! He still had to get it cleaned professionally and provide the proof of this!