# how much to trim moss?



## nyxkitten (Jul 24, 2012)

So there is a java moss jungle going on.

I was wondering how low can I trim the moss? 
I have it attached via fishing line to a cholla wood. 
The longest strand is 10 inches. If I cut it to 4 inches would the moss have a heart attack and die?

Plus I trimming off the part that is growing so does it re grow from the part it got cut from?

I'm scared. First time I'm cutting something that isn't paper or hair ahhh


----------



## Fdsh5 (Jan 3, 2012)

If you cut it, it'll grow back and the trimmings will grow as well. It's tough to kill moss. If you want it thicker on the cholla just take the trimmings and tuck them under the moss that's already attached. That's what I always do. It makes it shorter and thicker looking.


----------



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

People have actually told me to get a good moss coating, put it in a blender to make moss paste and put it on via a net. 

Now I haven't gotten that crazy yet, but most mosses can survive a beating. 


MABJ's iDevice used for this message


----------



## AVN (Oct 3, 2012)

MABJ said:


> People have actually told me to get a good moss coating, put it in a blender to make moss paste and put it on via a net.


This works fine for most mosses, but when you get to the more delicate ones you'll end up making moss paste that will rot in your tank. I tried this with Mini Marchantia and Fissiden Fontanus and they did not regrow. With Java, Flame, and Taiwan, it worked like a charm.


----------



## MABJ (Mar 30, 2012)

AVN said:


> This works fine for most mosses, but when you get to the more delicate ones you'll end up making moss paste that will rot in your tank. I tried this with Mini Marchantia and Fissiden Fontanus and they did not regrow. With Java, Flame, and Taiwan, it worked like a charm.


Ooh that's a good point. There's some mosses I wouldn't try that with. Heck I wouldn't even try it out on any of mine yet lol. 


MABJ's iDevice used for this message


----------



## meowschwitz (Sep 6, 2011)

AVN said:


> This works fine for most mosses, but when you get to the more delicate ones you'll end up making moss paste that will rot in your tank. I tried this with Mini Marchantia and Fissiden Fontanus and they did not regrow. With Java, Flame, and Taiwan, it worked like a charm.


Did you actually blend it or just chop it up real good?


----------



## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

Cut your moss as short as you like, it will grow back just fine. Even a very small piece will grow. 

How is your xmas moss doing? Was there enough for what you wanted to do?


----------



## nyxkitten (Jul 24, 2012)

Yay! I am not going to try the blender idea yet.... Maybe when I get a good bunch and will try it out :-D

Glad to know they won't die. I can pull strands part but I can't cut heh.

Rodcuda - doing well. Perfect amount. Waiting for them to settle. Can't wait to see them grow  thank you again.


----------



## rodcuda (Jul 25, 2012)

Good to hear, I think you are really going to like the look when it starts growing out.


----------



## jakevwapp84 (Jul 8, 2012)

Sorry to jump in but I'm very curious as to how to make this moss paste and how we it works! Thanks!


----------



## AVN (Oct 3, 2012)

It's a bad idea to actually blend it into a paste, the paste will break apart and drift everywhere in your tank. It also will not regrow if you puree it.

I put it in the blender for a couple seconds to chop it up real nice, then I put it in a fine net and stretch it over a rock. The fronds were very finely chopped up, but still large enough that they individually measured 0.5~1 inch each, if that helps with determining how much it needs to be chopped.

Perhaps I'll do a video. I recently blended a bunch of Taiwan moss that I have free floating in a sealed jar. It's just beginning to regrow from all sides after the 4th day.

Another thing you could do is just to rip it up, that works just as well as cutting, chopping, or blending it.

An interesting tidbit; I find separating the fronds at the base of where they start to branch out in different directions shortens the regeneration process as opposed to cutting them randomly halfway down the frond. It always results in less yellowing fronds or rotting pieces when you cut it like that, at least for me.


----------



## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

Avn, I think you missed a step. Supposed to then mix the paste into a gellatin mix to hold it's shape or form a bit so all the small micro pieces are held together. Crazy glue has also proven to work by sprinkling across glue tracks on wood.


----------



## AVN (Oct 3, 2012)

I try not to use chemicals like super glue in my tanks so I attach the "paste" using a net. After the moss has attached itself to whatever I put the net on, I cut the net away and let the moss grow from there. 

I never chop my moss up finely enough that I would need anything to hold it together, as I said before don't mush your moss, it'll more than likely just die on you.

But you are right, you can do something similar to that to keep the integrity of your moss bush if you've chopped it up too much. Gelatin mix would be great for holding down moss paste for a DSM tank!


----------



## inthepacific (Oct 21, 2012)

i heard of the blender technique too but i think that is mostly for growing moss outdoors as you can spread it over more surface area.


----------

