Get Misty Over Moss
Moss grows best with shade, acidic soil and moisture. Unlike other plants, moss doesn’t have roots. Instead, very fine filaments take up the nutrients and water it needs to grow. You can rake it up, chop it up and even blend moss and those filaments will still manage to combine and grow. Without a lot of water, however, moss withers to an ugly brown. Therefore, your primary garden tool for maintaining moss graffiti turns out to be a spray bottle and water. Wash. Mist. Repeat.
A Recipe for Green
Either yogurt or buttermilk has the right acidic balance for moss. Add a little sugar and you have a recipe for moss graffiti paint.
- 2 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt
- 1-2 cups of moss (fresh or dried)
- 1 tbs. sugar
- If you’re using moss, you’ve gathered, clean off as much of the dirt as you can in a tub of water.
- Add the liquid and sugar to a blender
- Then pull the moss apart into small chunks and add to the mix.
- Blend on low. If the moss gets clumpy and clogs, you may have to stop and remove some stringy parts.
- Continue adding moss until the mixture reaches the consistency of green oatmeal. Yum!
- Pour into a container and get ready to become an ecologically-correct Banksy.
A Play on Green Words
Moss graffiti will grow on brick, stucco or even wood located on the shady side of a building. Freehand the lettering or use large stencils. The words must be big to show up properly. If the “paint” drips, take it back to the blender and add more moss. It should go on thick, like a paste, but not drip. Spray with a light mist of water… daily. Or more often if necessary. Watch closely for signs of drying out.
TIP: You can paint your moss graffiti onto a piece of landscape fabric and nurture it on a flat surface. Then, once the moss has grown and filled in, mount the fabric on a wall or fence.
More links featuring moss graffiti:
Anna Garforth
http://crosshatchling.co.uk/
Webecoist: Living Wall – 15 More Vertical Vegetative Buildings
http://webecoist.com/2009/10/19/living-walls-15-more-vertically-vegetated-buildings/
Environmental Graffiti: 20 Masterpieces of Green Graffiti
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/moss-grass-graffiti/2147
Instructables: Moss Graffiti
http://www.instructables.com/id/Moss-Graffiti/
