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For years, I have collected moss from places where it grows naturally. To simplify the hunt, I have encouraged a large patch of moss on the north side of my house. The moss that grows in my yard, however, is not the fine-textured moss I prefer for dressing bonsai for a show, and this is sometimes hard to find in An appropriate quantity. I have seen some small patches of lovely moss growing in sidewalk cracks this fall, and with no show in the immediate future, I decided to start a moss tray. Let me share how.

Pictured are the items I used for this project: a cheap plastic boot tray purchased from IKEA, a drill, nylon screen, a pumice lava mix (either would do, but I had the mix sitting around), sand, an old blender, collected moss, and a beer.

I should probably insert a joke, here, about drinking beer in the morning, but I only had a couple sips. Beer, it turns out, is supposed to be an excellent nutrient source when you start moss in one of the ways I will show you.

Step 1: drill drainage holes in the tray.

Step 2: cut a piece of nylon screen to cover the holes.

Step 3: cover the screen with a layer of pumice or lava.

Step 4: cover the course layer with a layer of sand.

…and smooth the sand until the tray is evenly filled.

I am going split the tray with two techniques, so Step 5A: blend together collected moss and beer.

Step 6A: pour this mixture over the sand (in my case, half the sand).

Step 5B: (Are you following my number system, or am I confusing you?) If you want to try approach B, press collected moss into sand leaving space between that will fill in as the moss grows.

Then water gently. (I’m not gonna try to number this one!) I used the water to gently spread the beer mixture to cover the full surface of the left side of the tray.

And that’s it! I will watch to see how these two sides develop, and I will share the results. With any luck, I will have a full tray of beautiful, fine-textured moss just like the moss I collected. I can use this to dress up my trees when it’s time to show.

If you try this out yourself, or have other tricks to share, let me know. I’d love to hear from you.