Moss Mountains

[Chas Jones]

Think it's safe to say we have a an idea of what a very wet winter means for unwanted moss cultivation.




Another half day (some hopes) without rain may see us giving it best for a while.

Not that we are too precious about the patches of grass but when the Lawn mower starts getting bogged up to its axles in a bouncy cushion folks start passing comments.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

That puts the moss level our yard in your taillights and I thought we had a lot over winter hah. That was a significant demossing project!

I have one spot of heavy moss that actually confounds me, it's the heaviest moss area all winter and entirely bare over winter except moss but come spring the moss dies entirely back and it's consistently the lushest grass growing section of the yard. This is contrary to basically everything about how I expect moss and grass to interact.

 

[Chas Jones]

I buy Iron sulphate by the 25KG bag, and hit the moss with a spray solution every year in spring, supposedly before it starts sending spores out, and whenever I spot it rearing its head, but with the crazy climate swings we've been having I suspect it is ignoring the reproduction calendar and gets a head start before things dry up enough to tackle it.

 

[Paul Douglass]

I will stay in my arid climate. Moss is the least of our worries. Sagebrush and cactus are pretty, in their own way.

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

I will stay in my arid climate. Moss it the least of out worries. Sagebrush and cactus are pretty, in their own way.

I'm with you Paul. I'm reading this and thinking "Moss? Are you telling me moss can actually be an issue in one's yard?" The closest we get to moss around here is a bit of lichen on the occasional boulder.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

a bit of lichen on the occasional boulder

Lichen it, we're lovin it!

 

[Chas Jones]

I'm with you Paul. I'm reading this and thinking "Moss? Are you telling me moss can actually be an issue in one's yard?" The closest we get to moss around here is a bit of lichen on the occasional boulder.

We'll raise you an ubiquitous baseline lichen undercoat and high end moss varieties.








A heavy rainstorm can see us clearing a couple of buckets of moss hung up in in roof guttering and from downpipe drain grill traps.

 

[Chas Jones]

I have one spot of heavy moss that actually confounds me, it's the heaviest moss area all winter and entirely bare over winter except moss but come spring the moss dies entirely back and it's consistently the lushest grass growing section of the yard. This is contrary to basically everything about how I expect moss and grass to interact.

I remain completely confused on the subject of moss around here and soil acidity, Moss is an acid loving and generating species, this is a Limestone area, I can dig down a couple of foot and retrieve Cotswold Limestone suitable for building construction, how come I need to apply a heavy dressing of Lime everywhere to discourage it.

 

[Dave Hawksford]

I'm with you Paul. I'm reading this and thinking "Moss? Are you telling me moss can actually be an issue in one's yard?" The closest we get to moss around here is a bit of lichen on the occasional boulder

Some lichen makes good medicine.

 

[Chas Jones]

I remain completely confused on the subject of moss around here and soil acidity, Moss is an acid loving and generating species, this is a Limestone area, I can dig down a couple of foot and retrieve Cortswold Limestone suitable for building construction, how come I need to apply a heavy dressing of Lime everywhere to discourage it.

Mulling over the conundrum of rampant moss whilst doing a bit of remedial wall painting (its raining again) I believe I've answered my own localised befuddled battle with moss.
1. To rapidly kill lush green growing moss you introduce it to Iron sulphate, it turns black within minutes of exposure.
2. Iron Sulphate is an acidic salt.
3. Residual amounts of which entering the soil raises the acidity level of the loam.
4. Residual Moss spores rejoice at the increased acidity level of the surface loam and come out to play in profusion at the first opportunity.

And so the Man - Moss war continues.

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

Chas, it fascinates me to to see the wide variety of climates and terrains we humans live in, and the various flora that gives us fits.

Also, Man - Moss War would be a good band name.

 

[Chas Jones]

Chas, it fascinates me to to see the wide variety of climates and terrains we humans live in, and the various flora that gives us fits.

We have or had (anno domini rules) several USA friends and family members who found it hard to get to grips with the climate vagaries of a small island climate when here for extended periods. Even family members living in central Europe find it so different to their experience at home if they come to reside with us for a couple of years and experience all the seasons.

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

We have or had (anno domini rules) several USA friends and family members who found it hard to get to grips with the climate vagaries of a small island climate when here for extended periods. Even family members living in central Europe find it so different to their experience at home if they come to reside with us for a couple of years and experience all the seasons.

I would imagine getting used to our climate here would be a similar challenge for someone from the UK. It's even tough for someone from the wetter parts of the US as well. My wife lived all her life in southern California, which is generally considered a pretty dry part of the country. It still took her quite a while to get acclimated to New Mexico. (And in some ways, she's still not come to grips with it, lol.)

 

[Jay Caughron]

I would imagine getting used to our climate here would be a similar challenge for someone from the UK. It's even tough for someone from the wetter parts of the US as well. My wife lived all her life in southern California, which is generally considered a pretty dry part of the country. It still took her quite a while to get acclimated to New Mexico. (And in some ways, she's still not come to grips with it, lol.

I lived in Roswell for about a year and the uniforms we wore were dark brown. The inside of my shirts would turn white from all the dry skin. This ole Kansas farm boy was not used to the dry in NM.

 

[Chas Jones]

I would imagine getting used to our climate here would be a similar challenge for someone from the UK. .......

I suspect the nearest we've experienced is a short visit in San Antonio area (by road) as an aside from a family gathering in Dallas (Plano),

Other than that family related trip, I've only had a few weeks in California (Sacramento), and Oklahoma City on work related trips, fortunately all at times of the year that although warm (to me) provided no real challenge to the car air conditioning.

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

I suspect the nearest we've experienced is a short visit in San Antonio area (by road) as an aside from a family gathering in Dallas (Plano),

Other than that family related trip, I've only had a few weeks in California (Sacramento), and Oklahoma City on work related trips, fortunately all at times of the year that although warm (to me) provided no real challenge to the car air conditioning.

All those places are downright muggy compared to the desert areas of the southwest US. I spent a week one summer in Sacramento when they were having a heat wave, and not only were the temps in the low 100s (roughly 38 degrees Celsius) the humidity was in the high 90% range. (It was unseasonably humid there that summer.) I think that was some of the most brutal hot weather I've ever experienced.

I lived in Roswell for about a year and the uniforms we wore were dark brown. The inside of my shirts would turn white from all the dry skin. This ole Kansas farm boy was not used to the dry in NM.

I wear black socks, and if I don't slather on the moisturizing lotion after every shower, the insides of my socks look like I have severe dandruff of the calves and ankles at the end of the day, lol.