# Can Moss ball be cut?



## gordonrichards (Jun 20, 2009)

You should be rolling the balls.


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## Jaggedfury (Sep 11, 2010)

Is it too late to roll the ball once the bottom portion of it is not green at all?


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## PinoyBoy (Mar 14, 2008)

YEP!!!

Here's a good link that documents it:
http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Plant, Japanese Moss Balls.htm


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## CuddlePhysh (Jul 27, 2017)

Jaggedfury said:


> Can Moss ball be cut into smaller pieces? I have a bigger than baseball size Moss ball that just doesn't seem to grow and on the bottom side it's showing some brownish area now. I was hoping I could cut this into smaller pieces and use it between rock to make a moss hill type scape.
> 
> Let me know, cause right now I just have it sitting in a jar.


I know this thread/question was started/posted loong ago. However, as the original question was never addressed (& the everlasting glory of the internet remains it a resource when 'moss ball info' is searched) I decided to go ahead & help where help is due, Enjoy...

Propagation:

Marimo balls are small, and grow at a slow pace of about 5 mm’s per year. But in time a marimo ball can grow to be quite substantial or form multiple smaller marimo balls (the beginning of a self-formed colony!). There are some things to look out for if you are trying to develop a healthy colony. Marimo balls turning white means they are probably receiving too much sunlight, and they should be promptly cleansed and moved to a different location. If the marimo turns brown it should be cleaned gently and the brown parts removed from the ball. This will temporarily alter the shape, but if you add a little salt to the water and make sure to roll the balls around more often so they get equal exposure, they should reform as nice spheres. If a marimo turns black, it probably means it is decaying from within, the most difficult (but still fairly easy!) condition to deal with. The black parts should be removed even if it means destroying much of the marimo’s mass. Reform the marimo from its small, green core and it should thrive again. If it turns black, that may mean the ball is too big for fresh water to reach the center, which is necessary for good health. At this point you can divide and reform the ball into multiple, smaller marimos, and continue to develop a colony.

(source: https://www.mossball.com/content/building-marimo-colony-splitting-method-propagation.html)


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