Uses for fallen moss from trees - Ask Extension
Hi there! The crows have pulled a lot of moss from our woodland branches. Is that a good source to work into soil for acid-loving container plants? Or...
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Uses for fallen moss from trees #927872
Asked April 08, 2026, 7:13 PM EDT
Hi there! The crows have pulled a lot of moss from our woodland branches. Is that a good source to work into soil for acid-loving container plants? Or does it need to be composed first?
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Thank you for your question, Darlene. Moss contains all of the nutrients needed by plants, and, as it decomposes, those nutrients return to the soil to “rebuild” new plants. I can find no science that suggests that mosses help acidify the soil. Once they are dead, unlike pine needles, for example, they don’t change soil pH. So, work them into any soil, and let the microbes do the decomposition “work”. Good luck!
Thank you so much for your response! I'm happy to work them into my soil, rather than send them off with the yard debris bin and it's wonderful knowing that they don't change the soil pH at all.
Best wishes,
Darlene
Some sources suggest putting them in houseplants, atop the soil, but I would be concerned about the tiny spiders that live in them.
