You must have come across bonsai with beautiful moss covers. Moss covers add a startling visual effect to bonsai. Besides making the bonsai look spectacular, they help in water retention and in holding soil in the pot. If you are buying a bonsai from a nursery, look for moss growth. If you are new to bonsai and are thinking about applying moss to your bonsai, you should understand that there is a certain method of adding moss to your bonsai. Improper technique can lead to lumpy growth, which will not have the desired visual impact.

Applying Moss

Begin by slicing the moss from its growing place with the help of a sharp knife. Take as little soil as possible. Now place this moss in a container that has been lined with paper. Moisten it slightly and then remove the remaining soil from the moss. You can do this with the help of a sharp scissor.

Next you should roughen up the soil surface of your bonsai. Insert tuft of moss in the soil with the help of a long handed tweezer. Do not place moss against the trunk. After you have planted the moss sprinkle dry soil over it and then press it gently.

After a certain period of time you will see an even growing moss cover in your bonsai. You will be glad to know that in bonsai your choice is not just limited to moss. There are other types of ground covers that you can use for your bonsai.

Other Ground Covers

Baby Tears is a very hardy ground cover. It provides instant and bright coverage for your bonsai. The cover can be quite invasive so you do need to control it. Another ground cover that you can use is the ?Kyoto Dwarf' Mondo Grass. It is a fine-leafed cover. It is native to Japan and Korea and is quite popular amongst bonsai enthusiasts in these two countries. If you are using this cover, you should make sure that it does not cover more than one sixth of the area of the pot. Since it propagates easily you need to trim it often.

If you do not want live ground covers, then you can opt for ?iron stones'. These are very small stones and are very cheap to buy. The stones provide a very professional look and need no controlling or pruning.

With all kinds of ground covers, except for the ?iron stones', you need to make sure that they do not completely take over your bonsai. For this, you would have to continuously trim and control them. The technique of applying ground cover to your bonsai is not hard to master. All you need is proper knowledge and determination from your side and you will have a beautiful looking bonsai in no time.