Living moss walls are a beautiful green addition to any home. They are hip and can even purify the air in your home.
Moss walls are a beautiful and refreshing background for your next work video call or business video call.
Moss is a very simple low growing green plant that grows in nice thick clusters. Moss does not flower and does not have real roots.
It grows on vertical walls and hard surfaces using small hair like structures called rhizoids.
They are durable green plants that are able to survive any weather condition.
If you want this fresh look to be present in your home, we have shared our tips and steps to make a DIY, living moss wall in your home.
Are Living Moss Walls Alive?
Moss walls can help either preserved or living moss.
In the case of a living moss wall, it is entirely dependent on how much money and sort of an environment the wall is in.
Living moss walls are going to take a lot more caring for considering they either need special irrigation methods, or require to be moist on a regular basis.
Preserved moss does not need any care at all considering that it is placed in glycerine to last for several decades.
Can You Have A Living Moss Wall Indoors?
A living moss wall can add some greenery to your home decor.
You can have a moss wall indoors or outdoors made of young, growing live moss or dehydrated and preserved moss.
Live moss can only grow well outdoors, and it could damage your interior walls.
Most indoor living moss walls are not living; there may be some partially living moss, but most of it is a decorative dead moss.
The dead moss is usually coated with glycerin, which helps keep the rich green color, as well as keep the moss walls alive near one of your indoor walls.
How Much Do Moss Walls Cost?
The costs of moss walls depend on several variables.
The perimeter of the moss wall, transit, and installation are all considered when calculating a final price.
Live moss walls will be more costly to install, opposed to preserved moss walls, e.g. to keep live moss maintained will require a monthly budget.
What Can You Expect? For 100 total square feet of live moss wall, expect to pay about $48,000. For the same space, a similar wall of preserved moss will cost about $7,000. The estimate is for installation only.
Types Of Living Moss Walls
There are many colors and kinds of live moss you can enjoy from their appearance, their living condition and how they grow.
The colors can range from deep green varieties to almost yellowish varieties.
Most people use these common species for their live moss walls in their homes:
- Reindeer Moss, Cladonia Rangiferina
- Spanish Moss, Tillandsia Usneoides
- Big Shaggy Moss, Rhytidiadelphus Triquetrous
- Pillow Moss, Leucobyrum Glaucum
- Broom Moss, Dicranium Scoparium
- Sheet Moss, Hypnum Curvifolium
- Fern Moss, Thuidium Delicatum
Reindeer Moss, Cladonia Rangiferina
Reindeer moss is a form of lichen that thrives in both hot and cool climates.
It’s shaped like the antlers from a reindeer; hence the name.
In their natural habitat, they can be colorful and vary from green to white.
Most home interior decorators who use reindeer moss prefer to dye regal true color into fantastic color tones for a fantastic preserved living moss wall.
Spanish Moss, Tillandsia Usneoides
Commonly referred to as Long hair Moss, it is indigenous to Florida, Central America, South America.
It is commonly called the Spanish beard based on its appearance.
It hangs down from the bark of trees and is streaked with leaves that are both green and white.
It offers the best growth potential as a hanging display for use as living moss wall at your home.
Big Shaggy Moss, Rhytidiadelphus Triquetrous
It thrives within lush forests and is highly ornamental as a silky plant.
It has very slender foliage but it is long, producing a fuzzy look.
It grows well as an outdoor living moss either on bark or wood surfaces provided that the substrate is kept damp.
Pillow Moss, Leucobyrum Glaucum
This type of living moss is also known as cushion moss.
It has a rich green and white appearance. If you grow it out in a live situation and not in a petri dish, it will spread freely.
Cushion moss is dome shaped and needs sufficient soil base, light, air, and moisture for thriving.
If you grow it indoors, you can also grow it in pots or by itself in a container just make sure you have ample room as they will tend to grow outward.
Broom Moss, Dicranium Scoparium
Commonly referred to as Mood Moss, this moss species originates from North America.
It also grows abundantly in parts of Australia, Asia, and Europe.
Mood moss is hardy and bristly, with shiny green groupings and hair-like appendages that protrude from its stems.
Sheet Moss, Hypnum Curvifolium
This green moss, belonging to the carpet moss family, grows on flat rock and soil surfaces with a carpet-like appearance.
It is famous for indoor moss walls because it spreads out flatly and uniformly.
Fern Moss, Thuidium Delicatum
Fern moss is a type of moss found in nearly every species in North and South America.
One of the most commercially available species of moss has generally been dried, which is commercially available as preserved moss.
It has a fern-like clumps appearance, and once mature it can even grow large and spread out while alive.
Step-By-Step Guide On How To Make A Living Moss Wall
You could always hire someone locally who specializes in moss walls to install one in your space.
However, if you want to take on the challenge yourself and not spend a ton of money, here is a detailed guide to help you create a living moss wall for your space.
Step 1
Choose the type of living moss wall you would like.
You can go with:
- a preserved
- which is maintenance free,
- or with a live moss wall.
If your living moss wall is for indoor use we suggest to go with the preserved moss.
If you are using it for an outside wall, the live moss acts the best, it will take some upkeep, however it will look even better when the plants are outside.
Step 2
Create a frame that you will use to hang your preserved moss. With a bit of creativity, you can make this frame out of wood, metal, plastic, or in any shape.
Simply attach plywood to the back of your frame, which is where the moss will rest.
If you plan to use live moss, you will want to purchase a wall garden kit that conveniently comes with a small amount of soil as moss will require soil and water to grow.
Live structures must have a solid wall structure for support and to hold water, so make sure that you consult with a structural engineer or architect to determine whether your wall can safely bear the weight of the structure.
Step 3
Choose a variety of living moss plants for your home, whether alive or preserved.
Many local nurseries carry them, and if you cannot find the desired piece, you can purchase them online.
Add the dry accessories needed to create a preserved wall.
Those are:
- dry bark
- mushroom sponges
- dry flowers
- ferns
- seed pods
- and twigs
Choose the ideal species of live moss depending on its final planting location.
Step 4
Gather your dried moss and get ready to glue it onto your frame.
Place the moss and decorations into whatever design you like until the frame is completely covered.
Mix colors of moss for an added color effect.
Be cautious when arranging live moss to plant since it can also be tricky.
If you are planning to have it hanging inside, plant them into the small soil pockets, but leave room for the mess to grow.
Plant them in a rocky area with a touch of soil, or along the walls if you are using them outside.
Live moss will grow on its own and will spread out.
Step 5
For upkeep of your live moss wall, consider adding a recirculating irrigation system.
It is an automated watering system controlled by a timer.
You do not need to have a regular water source or a water drain, making it a perfect set-up for the indoor live wall.
We suggest having a professional install the system for you, before installing the live moss wall.
Alternatively: Just have someone go over every day and maintain the live moss wall. This person will need to water it, remove excess growth, add pesticides for bugs and insects, and clean-up dead stuff every now and then.
Preserved moss walls are typically dry and don’t need any maintenance.
What Is The Difference Between Live Moss And Preserved Moss?
Preserved and live moss walls offer an eco-friendly way to bring vibrant, natural green to living and working spaces.
However, there are quite a few differences between the two.
Live Moss
Live moss is to be found in clusters of live moss plants, but these awesome plants require immediate watering with adequate sunlight and airflow for continued growth.
Live moss plants can be heavy and spread out, which requires strong walls to hold their weight.
It requires a proper irrigation system and regular maintenance to maintain the indoor beautiful green look, but it can be expensive.
Keep in mind that a gardener will likely need to do trimming every few weeks, remove any dead dead moss pieces, and spray pesticides to control any bugs crawling around the live moss wall.
Caretakers need to ensure proper irrigation and lighting conditions as well.
If you can afford the maintenance required for a live moss wall, it will make an amazing addition to your living space, and a great addition for cleansing the air too.
Preserved Moss
Preserved moss is the exact opposite of live moss. Its dry and preserved state ensures a no-maintenance and care solution and is suitable for the indoors.
Preserved moss is a form of previous living moss, which has been preserved in glycerin to give the moss the appearance of lush green moss for years to come.
Preserved moss is organic, but it’s no longer living. They too don’t require soil or water; however, you want to avoid direct sunlight for extended periods.
Because preserved moss is no longer living, it will not attract any insects or pests to your moss. Misting the preserved moss every few weeks or less often, depending on humidity, is the best way to maintain the appearance of living moss.
Preserved moss can be created in every shape, color, and size without the hassle of living moss.
Moving preserved moss decorations around your house is easy as well.
If your preserved moss assembly doesn’t have flowers or fern in the arrangement, your moss wall will last over ten years provided it is not outside.
Heads Up! Preserved moss is not efficient for an outside application for an extended amount of time because of moisture, UV exposure, and temperature differences without direct care will destroy the moss.
In contrast, live moss grows outside. Live moss grows perfectly when it is growing on the ground, on rocks, or on dead tree branches.
Live moss also has the ability to become a great wall in commercial buildings or homes, assuming there is a sufficient amount of care and maintenance.
Can Preserved Moss Wall Come Back Alive?
No, preserved moss walls will not come back to life.
The plant does not have water moisture, and glycerin is added to the plant to make the preserved moss wall look alive.
The natural qualities die during the preservation process, and there is no way they come back alive or grow.
How Long Do Moss Walls Last?
When cared for properly, preserved moss walls can last for over ten years, but they don’t require that level of maintenance.
Live moss, on the other hand, has a lifespan of around three years.
With the right conditions and maintenance, you may get a live moss wall to last diverging five to eight years!
Benefits Of Living Moss Walls
Living moss walls have other spectacular benefits besides decorating your home or office space and cleansing the air.
Act as a noise reduction medium
Plants, and trees in particular, are well-known for their ability to reduce street or exterior noise entering a building.
Living moss walls will do a similar job in the home or office.
Moss walls will absorb any high-frequency sound and create a tranquil environment.
It saves on energy costs
Moss walls actually cool the surrounding environment where they are located in your home.
You will save on your cooling costs, particularly during the summer months.
They also serve as insulation barriers keeping the walls warm enough, during the winter, to reduce heating costs.
Enhances personal productivity
With a living moss wall in your house you are at ease and tuned into the environment around you.
As a result you will become more productive. In plant spaces people tend to think clearer and produce better work.
Relieves stress
Plants have a soothing impact on people who live or work near them.
A living moss wall is akin to plants, which will provide relief from the stress and stresses of daily life.
It reduces dust in the air around your home
Your home has pollutants floating in the air, such as:
- bacteria
- mold
- and chemical fumes
These pollutants can cause flare-ups of allergies and other respiratory-related illnesses.
A living moss wall in your home will prevent this because it will absorb most of the dust particles floating around in the air.
Absorb excess carbon dioxide from the air
Humans exhale carbon dioxide which is great for plants because plants will take in carbon dioxide.
We need oxygen which plants produce.
A living moss wall creates a symbiotic relationship that will benefit everyone in your home.
It promotes healthy skin
Residing in a green setting with plants supplies hydration, thereby moistening your skin.
Dry skin is not good for your health since it tends to facilitate skin irritation and accelerated signs of aging.
Preserving living moss walls in your home will keep your skin from drying out, which leads to premature wrinkling.
Wrapping Up
Build a beautiful living moss wall in your home with a few simple materials.
You will have an incredible photo backdrop all while your guests are wowed by the beauty.
You also get to enjoy a higher quality of life from all the healthful benefits that living moss walls provide in your home.