
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 19, 1995                   TAG: 9501190082
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: JOE HUNNINGS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WOODED SITES CAN BE NATURALIZED WITH MOSS|

If you have a wooded site with moist, acidic soil, you may want to substitute moss for the more traditional but labor-intensive grass. A mossy area reduces your need for lawn-care products like fertilizers and pesticides and saves time and labor.

To have a moss lawn establish on its own, spread sulfur dust, ferrous sulfate or aluminum sulfate on your lawn in the early spring to lower the soil pH to 5.5 and to kill alkaline-loving grass. Conduct soil tests to determine the rate.

Within a few months, most of your existing grass will die, and you can easily remove any weeds or remaining grass. By fall, you should see indications of growing moss, but remember, it takes time, patience and several years until you really see results.

Moss also can be transplanted, but this process isn't easy, and it must be done at the proper time. The best time to transplant moss is early spring, when the weather is cool and the soil is continually moist.

After checking the soil for the proper pH, move clumps of moss to the desired location, making sure there is good contact between the soil and moss. Make sure the moss is kept well-watered for several weeks.

There are only a few things you should do to maintain your moss lawn once it's established. First, you need to weed the moss before the weeds go to seed. However, as time goes by, the amount of weeds decreases.

In late summer and early fall, birds may pick holes in dry moss searching for worms. When this occurs, place screening over the spot until it rains. Leaf litter must be removed from moss to prevent the moss from deteriorating or dying. This is done by raking the leaves with a plastic or bamboo rake.

Mosses are amazing plants because they have no true roots. Instead, they have root-like structures called rhizoids that anchor the plants wherever they grow. Mosses take up water and nutrients through their leaves much faster than other plants because they lack the protective coating found on most other plants, and this can cause them to look almost dead during a drought. But it only takes an afternoon shower to turn your moss lawn back into an emerald carpet of fuzz.

Joe Hunnings is the Virginia Cooperative Extension agent for agriculture in the Montgomery County Extension Office in Christiansburg. If you have questions, call him at 382-5790.

by CNB