April Little Plant - Bryophyta
This month we are excited to share a special treat from our neck of the woods! Bryophyta or "moss" is an amazing diverse family containing over 12,000 species! Each plant this month is a unique one of a kind combo of one or several species grown in the Cascade Mountain range, right here in Western Washington. Historically moss has been a tough plant to keep happy indoors but now with the fantastic pairing of silicone hydration beads (included!) and closed containers, its easy! Your moss comes in a plastic cube that can happily house your moss - just keep the moss moist by misting inside the box with a spray bottle every few days (if the hydration beads shrivel, soak them in water until they are the size of small marbles). Keep the lid closed to maintain moisture! Keep cool and away from direct light to avoid mold.
Bryophyta prefers filtered to medium light, as long as it does not dry out or get too hot!
Check your Bryophyta daily, it should always feel like a moist sponge. Keep the hydration beads full and plump to help you out! We recommend keeping Bryophyta in a cloche or even in the box it came in to keep it moist. If moved to an open air container, mist 1 - 2 times daily.
Add 1/4 strength fertilizer to water every few months.
Long Term Care
Bryophyta in general are hearty species, as long as they are kept moist and cool with some provision of sunlight for photosynthesis they are happy campers!
Bryophyta is not toxic to pets or people.
Turn your moss into a terrarium!
Transfer the hydration beads into the bottom of a jar or cloche container, lay the moss on top and spray with water. Close the lid! In the morning there should be little to no sign of condensation on the glass, but by evening time you should see some. This is evidence of the plant respiring (breathing). If you see lots of condensation collecting on the glass in the morning it means there is too much water inside. Open the lid for a few hours, close it again and check again the next day. Repeat until you get the correct amount of moisture (no condensation in the morning and some by afternoon or evening). Once you've done this you should be able to leave your moss terrarium alone for weeks or even months! We recommend checking on it at least once a week to make sure the moisture level is staying conssistant and there is no mold. Repeat this "gassing" process after each watering.