What is moss
Moss can settle on the lawn as well as on walls, joints, walls and other places. For moss to thrive, the optimal conditions should prevail. Instead of being combated, moss can give locations a certain atmosphere. What moss is is clarified botanically in the following with the classification.
What is moss - botanical explanation of terms
Just as plants growing on trees and tree bark are often referred to as epiphytes, moss is also subject to the botanical classification.
- Moss belongs to the genus of spore plants, which means that the plant reproduces through spores and not, as usual, through seeds. With approximately. 15,000 species of moss, of which approx. 2,000 are represented, most of the moss species or the spores on a damp surface.
- Before the moss gets its typical appearance, the physiognomy is similar to that of Seaweed, from which the mosses developed according to today's view. The origin of the mosses is estimated to be approx. 450 million Estimated years before the mosses emerged from the green algae.
- The spores develop threads from which the buds emerge. As these buds grow, the original thread from which the moss developed will eventually die off. The female and male sexual organs grow on the moss plant.
- The fertilization necessary for reproduction only takes place in a damp environment, but it does not necessarily need a rain shower, but also in At night, when the humidity rises, the moss can multiply because dew and high water content in the air are sufficient to supply the plant.
- Basically, the mosses themselves can be transformed into horn mosses, which are represented in Germany by only 6 species is, then in the liverworts, which are native to rainforests and are very moisture-loving, differentiate. In addition, there are the mosses, which are satisfied with less moisture and which settle here relatively often.
- Above all, mosses are particularly resistant to dehydration, which, depending on the species, can take on different forms. The so-called Hygrophytes can already lead to damage due to the short-term absence of moisture. Swamp moss and aquatic moss in particular are quickly affected by dehydration. Mesophytes as moss survive short-term drying out, while the so-called. Xerophytes can be revived even after years without watering by wetting them with moisture. These resistant mosses can be found mainly in rocky areas, but also on trees.
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Other specific characteristics of moss
Similar to the fern and lichen species, moss can get very old, sometimes up to 10,000 years, as a find in 1981 showed. It was bark moss that was discovered in the Antarctic.
- Mosses mainly settle in shady locations, such as B. under trees. In addition, the moisture evaporates more slowly in the shade and the moss can take care of itself for a longer period of time before the water evaporates.
- It is also not a problem for mosses to develop on very acidic and barren soils and subsoils, as the mosses only lie on top and do not develop any roots in the earth. Therefore, moss is often found on loamy and muddy surfaces.
- If there is moss in the garden on the meadow, you should optimize the often acidic climatic conditions of the soil and neutralize it with lime powder. With the next downpour, the soil is brought into the correct pH environment in favor of the lawn, so that the moss can race not displaced over time and lichens can still settle next to the moss.
They can also be in suitable places in the garden and front yard create beautiful moss landscapes. Above all, you should pay attention to the natural needs such as location and soil conditions so that the plants can develop quickly.
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