If you live in semi-arid Colorado it is pretty hard to grow moss and a tree at the same time in full sunlight. Since we are about a mile high in elevation the sun usually kills off the moss pretty quick because it is to bright and it drys out pretty quick. Colorado has a moss called Silver Tip moss that can grow in direct sunlight here. It likes it a little more on the dry side. I just checked a source for Colorado Moss and if I counted correctly there are around 291 different types of Moss in Colorado. I just collected around 4 gallons of moss from the mountains. I have no idea which one(s) of these 291 they are? I do know I have at least 4 different types of moss from the trip and at least one type of lichen growing in some of the moss. Some of the moss was growing under rock overhangs, some growing in full sun and some growing on the north side of trees. They all went into the same buckets. The texture of the moss was different to, some smooth and very tight balls of moss, others looking very much like green sphagnum moss and yet others looking like a shag carpet.
It is doubtful that all of these types of moss will take full sun down where I live and the trees don’t do to well in semi-shade which is what the moss prefer.
Another major problem with moss is the birds like to toss it off the trees looking for bugs.
I have figured out a way to grow moss in full sun, keep the tree happy and keep the birds from pulling the moss off the tree. I basically cut a piece of dark window screen larger then the surface of the pot. I then cut the screen to approximately the middle of the screen and cut a hole big enough to go around the trunk of the tree. I usually have to trim the screen material again to so it just hangs over the edge of the pot. The most important thing to do is to secure the screen to the surface of the pot/moss with copper wire slightly larger then the hole openings in the screen. I do a couple of things on each pot depending on the tree and pot. I usually will cut a piece of copper wire and form into this shape “]” with long legs so to speak. The legs have to be long enough to hold the screen off the moss. You do not want the screen material to lay on top of the moss, the moss will grow through the screen and you will then damage the moss when removing the screen. The previously cut wire will now be forced down through the screen and into the moss/soil. Once both sides of the bracket are through the screen and into soil/moss then move the screen material up off the soil and move as far up the copper as possible. You will continue this technique all the way around the pot. If successful your screen will now be positioned above the moss surface. The screen material will provide shade for the moss and also keep the pot cool. You can water through the screen, but you should make sure the tree gets enough water since the screen will allow some water to just run off it.
If you have just applied new moss to a tree you can use this method, but I recommend get a watering wand with a mister on it. I usually will go out every couple of hours and mist the soil/moss until established. Here in Colorado my trees get watered once a day and sometimes more for sensitive trees.
Here are some photo galleries of the process:
Moss Growing Technique Gallery: New 08-28-2020
Lilac Tree with Silver Tip Moss, moss will spread over surface by the end of the growing season.
Single Leaf Ash tree with existing moss that got to much sun. Hopefully moss will return to is green state.
This pot was made by Ron Lang and this tree is using a different approach to keep the screen off the moss. The was cut to be larger then the pot and a hole cut out for the trunk. Plastic clothes pins were use to secure screen to the surface of the pot. Copper wire was used to elevate the screen off of the moss on both sides of pot.
