Request: Spanish moss shipment to Brooklyn, NY

[newtown_arboretum]

Hey @Cajunrider

Do you think it would be possible to mail some me some living Spanish moss harvested from a branch crotch (from near the trunk of T. distichum, preferably).

I live in New York, studying the mutual relationships across moss, lichen, and bryophytes like Spanish moss with T. distichum. And I have a greenhouse so the climate should not pose an issue.

If not, do you know who I could ask? I don't want to order from any site online-- I want to know that it is a quality sample handled well during shipping, & importantly that it was harvested from a mature bald cypress.

Appreciative of any help,
Forrest

P.s. my ZIP is 11222 for shipping cost estimates

 

[rockm]

Not to be a buzzkill, but Spanish moss tends to look ridiculous on BC bonsai as it is waaay out of scale and looks kinda silly-unless you have an extra large or gigantic bonsai.

Spanish moss does nothing for BC or any other tree’s health. It’s also not a moss or lichen. It is a bromeliad unrelated to either.

If you do get some from down south you may also get introduced to chiggers since the little bugs like to live in it. Apply Off! liberally before opening the box.

 

[shimbrypaku]

Chiggers,
Two weeks of scratching and digging, cedarcide is the only thing I have seen to keep them at bay when hunting,

Thanks

 

[rockm]

Chiggers,
Two weeks of scratching and digging, cedarcide is the only thing I have seen to keep them at bay when hunting,

Thanks

They are the worst.

 

[Cajunrider]

Hey @Cajunrider

Do you think it would be possible to mail some me some living Spanish moss harvested from a branch crotch (from near the trunk of T. distichum, preferably).

I live in New York, studying the mutual relationships across moss, lichen, and bryophytes like Spanish moss with T. distichum. And I have a greenhouse so the climate should not pose an issue.

If not, do you know who I could ask? I don't want to order from any site online-- I want to know that it is a quality sample handled well during shipping, & importantly that it was harvested from a mature bald cypress.

Appreciative of any help,
Forrest

P.s. my ZIP is 11222 for shipping cost estimates

No can do. I have moved from Louisiana.

Furthermore, I agree with @rockm. The moss looks off scale on BC bonsai. I own some really big BC and the moss still look off. That is why I have zero BC bonsai with Spanish moss.

 

[newtown_arboretum]

I would absolutely not apply "Off!" I think of bonsai more-so as the art of cultivating the living skin of the earth, per se. Otherwise, an embodiment of how strange man is to nature in admiring.

My sense of proportion might be different than yours; I just want to buy the bromeliad. Ideally shipped with whatever lichens or mosses it may or may not relate symbiotically. (If you've read the relevant literature on this relationship please reach out with info, I would be interested to learn more!)

Open Request!
Located in New York City.

 

[newtown_arboretum]

No can do. I have moved from Louisiana.

Furthermore, I agree with @rockm. The moss looks off scale on BC bonsai. I own some really big BC and the moss still look off. That is why I have zero BC bonsai with Spanish moss.

*Cypress swamps breathe a sigh of collective relief*

 

[rockm]

I would absolutely not apply "Off!" I think of bonsai more-so as the art of cultivating the living skin of the earth, per se. Otherwise, an embodiment of how strange man is to nature in admiring.

My sense of proportion might be different than yours; I just want to buy the bromeliad. Ideally shipped with whatever lichens or mosses it may or may not relate symbiotically. (If you've read the relevant literature on this relationship please reach out with info, I would be interested to learn more!)

Open Request!
Located in New York City.

Spanish moss isn't symbiotic. It provides no benefit to the tree it's on. It uses the tree for support mostly. However, it prefers live oak and bald cypress because (from research available online if you look), those trees tend to leach more minerals from their leaves, which the plant uses.

As for the chiggers, well, get a bag of wild collected Spanish moss and stick your arms into it. You will find and entirely new kind of itch.

 

[coachspinks]

Chiggers are a way of life down here but that doesn't mean you get used to them. They are awful. Don't do it! But if you must, amazon will ship you some (probably chigger free, maybe?)


About 35 years ago, had a greenhouse that was 20' long and 12' tall in the middle. Down the center of the greenhouse I had a bed of tropicals planted in the ground. A few of the trees grew to be 10'+. On a trip to Florida, I grabbed a bunch of Spanish moss and stuffed it in a trash bag. I got home and hung it from the trees. Of course, the chiggers were a problem but, even on 10' trees, the moss was never to scale and did not look right.