Spanish moss

Spanish moss: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Hanging strands of 30 cm to about 1 m (far longer in the wild), branching into long, thin threads.

Leaves

Narrow and thread-like, curved, 2–6 cm long, grey-green thanks to tiny scales that take up moisture.

Flowers

Small, inconspicuous blue-green flowers, rarely seen indoors.

Roots

No roots: the plant takes up water and nutrients through its leaves.

Way of life

Epiphyte: it grows on trees and shrubs but does not live at their expense.

Why grow it?

• Very special: a plant without a pot or soil that you can hang almost anywhere.
• The long, grey strands give a light, airy feel to any room.
• Little work: no repotting and no compost, only water and a little feed now and then.
• Fits in many places: on a branch, a frame, a hook or above a cupboard.
• Evergreen and easy to divide into more plants.

Spanish moss: where does it grow best?

• Bright, with a little sun: by an east, west or south window in filtered light. Strong midday sun scorches it.
• Warm, 15–25 °C; the minimum is 5 °C, but better not below 10 °C.
• No soil: hang it from a branch, a hook, string or wire, with free air circulation all round.
• Humid air is a plus: a bright bathroom or kitchen is ideal.
• Make sure it dries quickly after a soak, within a few hours, so that it does not rot.

Light

Sunny or bright, out of direct sun

Potting soil

Airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid

Watering

Moderately

Size

1 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 5 °C

Goes well with

• Air plants (Tillandsia): The same care: small rosettes among the strands.
• Staghorn fern: Also grows on a board without a pot and likes the same humid air.
• Moth orchid: An epiphyte for the same bright, humid spot without strong sun.
• Bromeliad (Guzmania): Same family, with the same warmth and a vivid flower as contrast.

Spanish moss: when and how to plant it?

1. Choose a bright spot with good air circulation, without direct midday sun.
2. Drape the strands loosely over a branch, a hook, a plant hanger or a taut string; do not tie them tightly.
3. You need no pot and no compost: the plant grows without.
4. Do not use copper wire, because copper can damage bromeliads; string or stainless wire is better.
5. After hanging it, give it a good soak: 15–30 minutes in room-temperature, low-lime water.
6. Shake off the excess water and let it dry before you hang it back.

Care

Water

Mist it 2–3 times a week, or soak it once a week for 15–30 minutes; then shake it out and let it dry. More often in dry rooms, less in a humid bathroom.

Water quality

Use rainwater or filtered water. Hard water leaves limescale on the scales.

Feeding

Once a month a very dilute bromeliad or houseplant feed (a quarter of the dose) in the soaking water or the spray bottle; no more often.

Humidity

The drier the air, the more often you wet it; a little more often in winter with the heating on.

Tidying

Remove brown or dead strands and shake out dust and debris now and then.

Tip: Let it drip well after every soak and dry within a few hours: staying wet for too long is its greatest enemy. In a dry room a weekly soak of a quarter of an hour helps.

Spanish moss: when to prune it?

When: Pruning is hardly needed: all year round you only remove brown, dry or rotten strands.

How:

• Cut off brown or dry parts with clean scissors.
• You can shorten long strands or divide them into pieces to make smaller plants.
• Anything that breaks off can simply be hung up again.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Division

All year round, preferably in spring and summer: cut or break off a piece of 10–20 cm and hang it somewhere new. It carries on growing if it is wetted regularly.

Seed

Seed is rare indoors. In the wild, seeds and fragments of the plant spread on the wind and with birds that use it as nesting material.

Spanish moss: how does it get through the winter?

• Not hardy: the minimum is 5 °C. Keep it preferably above 10 °C.
• Hang it as bright as possible and water slightly less; never let it dry out, because heating makes the air dry.
• Do not hang it right above a radiator or in a draught; a cold, wet spot leads to rot.
• In summer it can hang outside in half shade in warm weather; bring it back in when the temperature drops below 10 °C.

Diseases and pests

• Brown, dry strands: Too little water or air that is too dry. Soak it longer and more often and remove the dead part.
• Black and slimy: It stays too wet or hangs without air circulation. Let it dry, remove rotten parts and hang it somewhere airier.
• Pale or scorched: Too much direct sun. Hang it in filtered light.
• Little growth: Too dark, too cold or too little water and feed. Give more light and a regular soak.

Through the year

• January: As bright as possible. Wet 1–2 times a week; not right above the radiator.
• February: Light and humid air.
• March: Wet more often as the light improves. Divide or hang up pieces.
• April: Weekly soak. Feed once a month, diluted.
• May: From mid-May it can hang outside in half shade in warm weather.
• June: Wet often; shade from strong sun. Feed.
• July: Wet more often on warm days. Feed.
• August: Wet often. Feed.
• September: Last feed. Bring inside as soon as it drops below 10 °C.
• October: Bring inside to a bright place; wet a little less often.
• November: Bright place. Not right above the heating.
• December: Rest. Wet 1–2 times a week.

Did you know?

• Spanish moss is neither a moss nor a parasite: it is a bromeliad, related to the pineapple, that grows on trees without harming them.
• The species name usneoides means ‘resembling Usnea’, the beard lichen.
• In the southern United States it hangs in long strands from oaks and bald cypresses.
• It was once used as stuffing for mattresses and furniture.