Spanish Moss

The look of The old Southern home place.  Most people visiting the Deep South will agree, the grey, smokey, blowing in the breeze Spanish moss hanging in the trees brings up visions of Southern Belle's, Plantations, and a simpler time without the fuss and fury of the fast lane lives most of us live. So Kick back, relax, and listen to the whipporwill and crickets.  Close your eyes and imagine.  There is a whisper on the breeze.  "Dixie".

This wonderful outdoor, indoor plant doesn't cost that much and can change the entire look of a piece of property.  Your very on front yard/backyard atmosphere does a 180 degree change of attitude without doing a lot of expensive renovations or additions to existing foliage.  You are simply adding a low cost additional foliage to a mundane tree profile. 

Spanish Moss, Facts and Myths.

Tillandsia Usneoides or Spanish Moss is not a moss at all.  It's an air plant related to the Pineapple.  It does not leach from the trees or underbrush it lives on.  It simply uses the host tree as a means of gaining height for sunlight. 

Although it is a low country plant, it can and does do very well transplanted if maintained.   It's basic need is moisture from the air, and moisture run off from the host plants. This run-off moisture from the host plant  provides most of the plant's nutrient needs.  I have found the plant does extremely well over a well maintained lawn.  In fact it grows better and is much more hearty than the Spanish Moss in the wild.  There are some 40 varieties of  Tillandsia Usneoides in the wild.  Some of the subtropical and tropical varieties simply will not adapt to colder climates.  Sub tropical varieties mabe, but mostly if the  regional variety comes from an area where freezing does not ocur, which includes southern Florida.  It isn't going to adapt to sustained freezing and the seeds survive.

Cold weather and Spanish Moss.  Freezing does little harm to it's overall life cycle.  In the spring it comes back and continues to grow and flourish.  The major problem is ice build up bringing it to the ground.  If it does end up grounded, don't toss it to the trash as dead.  NOPE.  Toss it back to the trees.  It will spring to life in the warmer times.  The winter is a good time to spread some of the summer's growth to other trees.  Thinning it actually helps it grow.  In the bigger bunches hanging from a tree, only the outside layers are alive and growing. The new growth has attached itself to the tiny very tough core of the dead moss on the inside.  Take some of the outside new growth and move it.  The interior core of Dead moss will naturally spawn new growth from the tiny seeds and smaller attached live moss.

Breaking the strands doesn't do anything but spread the moss again.  All or most of the broken strands will live and grow.  In a normal growing season Spanish Moss will grow from 3 feet to 6 feet per strand.  Again it depends on how much you water it during it's growing season. Below 50 degrees it doesn't grow at all.  Again it is dormant.  If you forget to water it for a few weeks, it goes dormant.  It can go dormant and stay dormant for months, in extreme cases for years. If it does go to Spanish Moss heaven, It will come back, because of the seeds attached to the old core.  A way to tell if it is alive, just spray it with water.  It will turn a light greenish grey.

Chiggers (redbugs) and ticks,

If your property has them, probably some of the Spanish Moss will host some of them too.  See the University of Alabama website.  It states, In short;  "in the wild the Spanish moss provided less habitation for these pest than the limbs and leaves of the plants around it".  So if your property has them, get rid of them.  Most water based insecticides such as pyrethrum do no harm to the Spanish Moss or foliage and help prevent infestations.  From our farm as I'm sure from most, the moss is pretreated before it comes to our growing sheds and before shipping. 

Will it grow on your property.  Yep.  But you got to help it along everynow and again.  I have been involved with transplanting this plant since 1991, all over the country.  IT'S SIMPLE AND IT WILL GROW. 

So go ahead, add some Dixie mystique to a dull piece of property, you'll be surprised at the new view you get from the same old, same old, landscape.  As a added bonus, It blooms tiny green to blue flowers from May till August.  This flower is one of the most fragrant flowers in the wild.  Mistaken by most visitors to the south as honeysuckle or jasmine.  Not so most of the time.its. "Just Spanish Moss in the Wind".

Installing

Boy that's the fun part.  Just like putting tensile on a christmas tree.  Toss it, hang it, whatever, just get it to say on the middle and especially the lower outer branches of the tree. After hanging your new moss.  Spray it with a garden hose.  It gives it a new drink and helps seat it to the limbs. If it didn't turn light green. You didn't buy fresh live Moss.  It should come somewhat moist from your supplier. 

 A customer made a suggestion this week that made it seem so simple. (thanks Cindi)  Use a paint roller extension pole to hang the moss.  Beats breaking your neck on a ladder.  So simple, huh.   And I'm suppose to be the expert.

After being around this plant all my life and being in the business harvesting, growing, advertising and selling Nationwide since 1991.  It is amazing just how little some of the so called experts know about Spanish Moss.  I've been told it won't grow, will not live through the winter, yada, yada.  Well mostly nothing will live if you don't give it what it needs and help it repopulate.  YEP IT IS A LOWLAND PLANT.  But, if you  introduce it in the desert and give it what it needs to grow, it will grow.  It will find a way to reproduce, if it is lacking the method to spread.  Spread it where you want it and repeat the procedure. 

MAKING nutrient soup for Spanish Moss

About once every month your Spanish Moss might need a little nutrient boost.  Most of Spanish Moss nutrients come from the air and rain run off from the trees it's attached to.  If you have a prolonged dry spell and want the moss to continue growing here is a for sure way to help it along the way.  In addition to watering it everso often.  Mix up a batch of my super spanish moss soup.  I use it here in the sheds and it makes a heck of a difference. 

Use decayed mulch material, mix water with it.  let the soup stand overnight.  Strain off the water.  Use the strained water in a mist bottle to spray the Spanish Moss. It'll give it a growth boost and promotes blooming again.  It works....If you have a lot of Spanish Moss on your property or greenhouse.  I use a downstream injector in the misting sys.

Privacy Fence?

Absolutely,  Got an old chain link fence? Want to add a little privacy?  Hang the Spanish Moss on the top of the fence and before the end of summer you will have a great looking, Totally assume, natural cover for privacy and guess what?  It grows down, not up.  It also stops growing at the ground.

SO,      Think Old South, whistle dixie, have a Mint Julep, get an old Panama white wide brim hat. A thin Havana cigar (don't smoke it) and strut around the yard speaking Southern. (SOME of it is English)  Say Goodbye your guests with a warm smile and a "Ya'll come back now Ya hear". (even if you hope they never come back) 

It's Dixie where ever you are.  You can have the best of Dixieland, the Spanish Moss, the moon on a warm breezy summer night and most of all the Mint Julep. Fact is, think I'll have one.  Kinda nice just kicked back, huh.

TIP FROM A PROFESSIONAL SUPPLIER

Just make sure it's fresh live Spanish Moss if you are using it for landscaping. 

 Be sure your supplier follows agricultural procedures for shipping Spanish Moss across state lines.  There are some pretty hefty fines in some states for illegally importing or exporting.  The Seller gets zapped and the buyer.

 Be sure to specify treated or untreated.  If it's treated, What is it treated with.  You can't just spray it with Raid.  Again the agricultural guidelines require special and specific treatments to protect you and wildlife.  If a seller is harvesting from his backyard tree.  The chances are they don't have a clue what's involved, or of the risk they are taking, and exposing potential customers to.   Where can you get Spanish Moss?

 RIGHT HERE ON EBAY.  There are several fine suppliers of this product.

YA'LL COME BACK NOW, YA HEAR!! (mean it)

BrotherBob

email us:   We will give you growing instructions wheather you buy from us or not.

Spanish Moss and Old South Trader