Can You please teach me , or guide my learning process in understanding the growing of moss , from aquisition , to growth techniques used and as well , if you are in Toronto , I Would like to initiate a visit to talk more about Moss thanks for reading , I hope this finds you well.
Hello, thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners with your question regarding moss. I admire your appreciation of moss, many gardeners wish to rid themselves of it, but it can be very useful in a damp shady spot in your garden. As to acquiring moss, this may be difficult as true moss is not often sold in garden centers. Often seen in garden centers are Irish and Scottish “moss” which only has a growth habit that resembles moss, but is in fact is not moss but a herbaceous perennial, Sagina subulata a member of the carnation family. These “moss look alikes” can be grown from seed or cuttings. True moss, Bryopsida as mentioned is harder to source. You may acquire fresh moss over the internet, but beware not to purchase preserved moss, and this will not grow. Of course, buyer beware – I cannot vouch for any online seller of any product, the safest bet would be to try to get moss from a friend or from an area where you can carefully lift a patch of moss of without much damage.
With regard to your inquiry for talks about mosses, I have to admit that again you may have to do some digging, the Toronto Botanical Garden and many other Garden clubs and organizations host a variety of lectures on a wide variety of garden topics, these are most frequent in late winter and spring. Keeping an eye open for such talks may yield reward, I will include a link to the TBG for you to peruse. I have heard an excellent talk by Frank Kershaw, an expert on this subject. Looking out for any of his talks would no doubt be very useful for you.
A previous posting on the Toronto Master Gardeners website might be helpful, it contains detailed information on growing mosses