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Hi, I have just installed a slate patio in my back yard. The gaps between the pieces of slate are several inches and I wanted to fill these gaps with a moss. It gets morning sun, but is fairly shaded from direct sun all afternoon and evening. The bas for the patio is stone dust. What is the most cost effective way to get this are to fill in? I have read online that putting moss, beer and sugar in a blender will make a 'moss soup' that will spread fairly quickly when applied to ground, stone or whatever else it hits. Will this work?
Jim Graham
Concord, NH
I've never heard of using beer and sugar, only thing I've ever heard about is using buttermilk (same principle though--whip it up in the blender and spread it around). Could be beer and sugar would work too, but if nobody can confirm that for you then I'd try the buttermilk approach.
Our brick and blue slate floor patio with limestone granular fill is now three years old. Last year in the second year we had enough native moss showing to indicate more was on the way. This year all areas with shade and half day sun have nice moss well established. The sunny areas indicate at this hour that moss prefers less light and/or heat. I might add that our brick are all second hand circa 1985 (estimated).
I'm trying to kill the moss from our sandstone walkway and she wants the moss...to bad I couldn't just ship it to her it would solve both of our problems!
Jim, It would seem that the beer suggestion comes from Martha Stewart. She recommends pouring the beer into the cracks before pouring on a buttermilk/yogurt/ moss mix.
here is a link discussing that method:
Why go to all that trouble and expense? If the climate and PH is in the ball park it will arrive with no effort having been made. If these condidtions are not in the ball park moss will not be there anyway or stay there no matter what may be done to try and grow it.
