Truth Behind Moss
The Missing Puzzle Piece
By: Alex Doerry, Vivlife505
In the reptile hobby, when you think of moss, do you think of it in regards to humidity? If so, you would be one of the many people who do. Myself and others here with Vivlife505 would also agree, and have begun to look at moss as a means to a healthier organically flowing ecosystem, and vital to that of any vivarium construct for reptiles.
Moss is an important vehicle for sustaining a natural filtration system for both soil and air. Moss groves work as an erosion deterrent catching run-off from rocky or wooded water collection points, working as the forest floor rain barrel, by catching water before it reaches the ground. When moss retains this moisture, it begins to constantly sweat it out, which is what aids in the increase of humidity in your enclosure. Moss is meant to release its moisture slowly over a period of time, and a lot of terrestrial species of moss work this way. Pillow moss and sheet moss aid in controlling the amount of water that actually reach forest floor soil, but this moss also needs a drying and hardening period. For most forest ecosystems, there is always a part of the year that logs less precipitation and some moss go dormant, which means that moss is not a fully engorged sponge. If you overwater and saturate it for a prolonged period, the moss will likely die.
Swamping the ecosystem is likely attributed to planted moss or other decomposition material within the soil or surface that does not have good drainage quality. The smell of swamp is unmistakable when the moss is saturated and begins to decompose in stagnant water. The key to having good humidity is in fact the key to having a good substrate and drainage layer. For moss to thrive in your botanical or vivarium, plant on top of rock or wood for the best success. Use mulch or aquarium rock as a top substrate to act as a barrier between your top soil and moss roots if you want to plant on the ground, and keep the moss wet but firm. It should feel like a damp velvet towel; if it is mushy and seeping water when you press on it, it is best to not water anymore.
A lot of people in the hobby, including myself, use peat moss blend soil. It is important to know that peat is the humus mounds of nutrients that moss create. Moss aids in soil nutrition by breaking down the exposed substratum it is connected to, which allows for complex plants to use the discarded material as nutrients. As the buildup of material increases, some moss begins to bulb, or create pillows. The moss rests atop its own bed of self-created nutrients from the rocks or dead wood that it grows on. It is important to note that moss grows in the shadows of places where direct heat and sunlight does not reach them. Here in New Mexico, we have studied broom moss and peat moss species on north-facing rocky forested cliffs. We have noted that when moss dries out, or becomes overloaded with water and breaks from its host platform, it finds its way to the forest floor and blends with the soil, becoming the best fertilizer ferns and other plants could ask for.
In order to understand why amphibians and reptiles rely on moss in an ecosystem is not merely knowing that moss helps with humidity, but understanding how this puzzle piece fits with your system. To keep your moss alive and healthy is a way of knowing that air and soil quality are up to par. Dive in depth to moss, and find out what it can do to benefit and enrich both you and your exotics system. It is an organism worth knowing!
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