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Moss everywhere!

Digging-itDigging-it Posts: 117
in Problem solving
Is it OK to put moss in a compost bin? I have moss everywhere (in fact it’s my most successful plant ..... grrr!) I’m continually scraping it off my beds and raking it from my grass. Having made some new large compost bins I would like to use it help fill them, but will I just spread it further when I use the compost.

Posts

  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    Moss is a very good plant to support the smaller forms of wildlife in the garden and I don't understand why so many people have an objection to it. There is a much healthier respect for it in Japanese gardens. I think I read somewhere that it is slow to break down in compost heaps and I tend to use any I scrape off paths where it could become a slip hazard to be a mulch under shrubs and it has not had the effect of taking over these areas. The spores from moss are likely to be impossible to avoid anyway so I would not worry about the risk of spreading it.
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • Digging-itDigging-it Posts: 117
    Thanks for the advice, I’m not completely adverse to moss and can appreciate it’s delicate cushions. But it has megalomaniac tendencies and has infiltrated everywhere to the exclusion of other plants. I may just leave it on the side to die off before putting it in the compost bin.
  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    Got lots of moss in the garden here and it does not exclude other plants. It has no real root system so does not directly compete with the roots of cultivated plants and does not grow tall enough to out-compete them for light.
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • Paul B3Paul B3 Posts: 3,154
    Interesting comments above ; agree that moss does not interfere with growth of any of my perennials , let alone shrubs & trees etc .
    I also positively encourage Soleirolia soleirolii in my garden ! Whilst removing a pair of very large Phormiums last Autumn and carefully peeling back the above , the soil beneath this ground-covering species was still very moist , despite dessicating winds .
    I have never known either of the above to have a negative impact on growth , and on the positive side I have found them beneficial to conserving moisture in the garden .
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    I don't hold moss in such high regard. It certainly competes with grass and its colour lacks charm. I once put some in my compost but it wouldn't break down at all so now it goes to the council.
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