Mosses, or mokhovidny is the very extensive department of the vegetable kingdom uniting more than 10,000 types. According to scientists, psilofita – plants of the Devonian Period were direct ancestors of mosses. Mosses have arisen for a long time too – long before flowering plants.
Mosses – plants small, in most cases their size does not exceed 5 cm. Tells their building about antiquity of these plants: mosses have neither roots, nor flowers, they breed disputes. The box containing disputes – sporangium, is located on leg sporophore. There is opinion that mosses do not pass oxygen, depriving thereby other plants of opportunity to breathe and causing their death. It is incorrect, leads not of availability of moss, but properties of the soil which is doing not pass oxygen to death of other plants while the moss on such soil survives. Favorable conditions for mosses – opacity and high humidity.
Emergence of moss on the site is capable to cause many troubles. If in time not to get rid of it, it can expand and "take" quite big space. Some summer residents seek to get rid, remove as soon as possible moss by means of herbicide of the general action, but it becomes only temporary solution of problem if the cause is not removed. If the site is in the lowland or near reservoir, the most probable cause of emergence of moss – too high soil moisture. It is necessary to dig out on the site of groove or to make drainage system. The moss well grows on sour soils therefore effective method of fight against it – lime application. Lime is brought under redigging – 50 g on 1 hundred part, and apply dolomite powder in the fall. It is necessary to do it every year. Well also mulching by cut straw and needles which is carried out by two times during the season helps. Emergence of moss is promoted by lack of light therefore the opacity needs to be reduced by trimming of the lower branches of trees.
Not always the moss happens "enemy" of the summer resident, it can be used also for decoration of the site. Quite often the moss is specially grown up in those places where no plants are planted – it looks not worse than normal lawn, but moss, unlike grass, it is not necessary to cut. The most suitable soil for moss – the sour peat bog. Considering that mosses have no roots, it is possible to grow up them not only on the earth, but also on stones, having decorated with that the Alpine hill. Having cut off number of moss in the forest, it needs to be dried within two days, and then to crush. For moss it is necessary to create nutrient medium: glass of buttermilk, glass of flour, 2 packages of quick-rise yeast, 2 tablespoons of sugar syrup (third of glass of water on 1.25 glasses of sugar). Add 1.5 glasses of the crushed moss to this mix and put in the sun for 3 days. Sign of readiness – emergence of unpleasant smell. Mix needs to be applied on stones by means of brush, to cover with polyethylene and to leave in the shaded place. Approximately in two weeks the stones will become covered by beautiful green moss.