We've always loved moss, so when we saw this bathmat made primarily from moss (that gets watered when you step out of the shower), we had to learn more...
This bathroom mat starts with an imputrescible foam called plastazote. Several types of moss are implanted in the cells of foam (a total of 70 pieces measuring 2.4 in. each) and live happily there as long as you shower often enough to get keep it moist while you towel off.
Its designer, Nguyen La Chanh, from Switzerland, says the mat is very relaxing and needs little care. She says: "The idea was to find a new way of having your plants inside."
Miss Nguyen is looking for financial backing so she can mass produce the mat for less than the £220 it cost her to make.
And in case you want to try promoting your own moss in your yard, here's a simple recipe we've been keeping in our bookmarks that will promote moss growth on stone, brick and the like:
Mix up a batch of 12 oz. beer, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and a couple of clumps of moss. Paint this mixture thickly on any damp shady surface you'd like to be moss covered and the moss will slowly grow and spread.
Related Posts:
• Moss Mats, Green Beds, and Grass Walls — Oh My!
• Green Idea: A Moss Yard
Via The Telegraph.
Moss recipe via DIY.com
Originally published 2009-02-03 - CB
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I want! I love moss. Unfortunately I can not afford that unless it costs $30 or less when it debuts.
That's pretty cool, I'd be afraid my cats would ruin it though.
When we were kids my friend used to tell me that moss was good for bare feet. Maybe he was right! Either way, we loved it, and I'd LOVE it after a shower! I wonder if there's a way to diy this...
wow this is great!
please keep us posted re-nest and let us know if this will be massed produced.
For Realsies? I wonder if dirt gets on your feet? Or is there no dirt? I love moss... I wonder how much moisture it would need, though, because the middle would get more moisture than the edges...
Anyway, very cool.
VW
http://www.margincomments.blogspot.com
My pets would love to keep that moist, if you know what I'm sayin...
I would love moss everywhere!
I love it and can't wait to see it on the market!
I like this. I want this. I think it's a great idea. Please make this more affordable.
is there anyway we could diy this?
That's so cool! How about a whole moss carpet! Hurry and mass-produce... we all want!
i know moss doesn't need much light, but it seems it would need more than is on my bathroom floor.
Guys Guys
Al very lovely moss in the bathroom
but is this sustainable?
Mosses come in a wide variety of forms, but all are based on a stem and leaf structure. The stem may be branched to a greater or lesser degree. Broadly, they can be divided into two groups - acrocarpous and pleurocarpous mosses. They live in woodlands and not in bath rooms for us to stand on!
Imagine if all of us will harvest moss illegally out of woodlands
this will cause great damage for the enviroment.
If everyone will take moss form outside
If everyone will take moss from outside what will happen.
Beer sugar and clumps of moss and wait for the natural enviroment to happen?
Please then all leave it there!
Magicbluebell, there are responsible "farms" that cultivate moss specifically for gardening, so yes, you can get moss without hurting the environment.
Due to how long it can take to grow moss, though, their product tends to be unfortunately pricey.
If you can't pay for the more expensive time, and don't want to take it out of the woods, your best bet is to look for a gardener with moss they want removed. Some gardeners or people with lawns dislike moss and try to get rid of it - in which case, there's no harm in you saving something that was going to be killed off anyway.
Real Moss! WOW!
Didnt know they could create something real with such beauty. I mean just think one coming out of the bath and wiping foot on the original moss.
Total luxury!! loved the post
Jeanne
Lovely idea. Wouldn't work in my windowless bathroom, but I'm interested to see if it catches on.
Incidentally, I collect moss kicked up by the landscapers at our apartment, which would otherwise die if left to dry out. Thanks for the beer recipe... I may put a sip into my terrarium.
Believe it or not I "caught" the "gardeners" that are contracted by the townhome association where we rent spraying the moss by "my" patio with some weed killer....WTF????? I loved the moss and it was hurting no one. Now there are weeds or crab grass there and they just mow it.
i like this and i'd like to be of help.. what support are you seeling?
seeking, sorry
Most moss needs very little light, does not need dirt to grow, just something to cling to, can handle great fluctuations in the amount of water it gets, is extremely hardy, and will re-propagate just fine if you take some and leave some in the outdoors.
To make "paintable" moss, just get a handful of the moss you wish to grow, and throw it in the blender for a minute with plain yogurt and some sculptor's clay. Then just paint it onto the object you want it to grow on, and keep it in a shady and moist environment. Your moss will grow in a few weeks.