If you have ever walked or hiked through a dense forest especially during monsoon season, you must have seen green mat like structures in the floor of the forest or on trunk of trees. Even while travelling through these jungles we have seen such sites but misinterpreted it as fungus. Well, it’s not fungus but Moss..!!
What are mosses?
They are small, non – vascular, flowerless plants. Non vascular plants do not have veins for transport of water and food, instead they are absorbed directly through the cells. They appear like dense green mats or clumps and belongs to the group of Bryophyta. They have individual leaves which are attached to a small stem.
Are mosses good for your garden?
They are in fact very good and useful for your home garden. First of all, they will give an excellent green appearance to your garden which will make it feel fuller of life. Secondly, they absorb carbon dioxide in huge amounts. As compared to any other plant or any medium sized tree, mosses absorb CO2 and also retains moisture. They also break solid substrates or stubbles and release nutrients out of them. The nutrients can be utilised by rest of the plants in your garden.
What are the use of mosses?
Besides being used for decorative purposes in garden, mosses have been used traditionally by humans as a food packaging material, insulation of houses or making flower bouquets. Sphagnum moss can even be used as fuel.
Are mosses harmful?
The straight and simple answer is – NO! Mosses are not at all harmful and won’t destroy your home or walls where they are growing. (It is still recommended that you use a substrate rather than growing them directly on walls. All about how to grow mosses, best ways, tips, techniques and requirements are covered in the following post). You can also use them to cover ground.
Mosses for air purification
This is the most important point that I want to share with you. Besides absorbing carbon dioxide, mosses release good amount of oxygen also. And the best part, they absorb all the pollutants and dust particles in their vicinity which makes the air quality around them much superior. What could be better than having a natural air purifier in your home? To conclude, if you have mosses growing around your garden or house, don’t worry and let one of the oldest type of plants make your air pure and fresh. After all, the earth is their home since last 500 million years!
Written by
Antra Thada
Reema's Garden 