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You are here: Home / Resistance is fertile / Operation: Moss graffiti

Operation: Moss graffiti

April 16, 2007 by Andrea Bellamy 61 Comments

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I led my first workshop yesterday! It was a Moss Graffiti Workshop for my guerrilla gardening group.

Following a brief slideshow and discussion about moss, graffiti, and moss graffiti, we made a yummy moss ‘starter’ (see the recipe after the jump). I had planned on brainstorming potential tags and artwork ideas, but everyone was raring to go and apply the frothy green mixture, so we just fanned out in small groups and pretended we were hooligans.

The moss starter goes on pretty much clear; in the top photo, Tim is simply embellishing someone else’s handiwork.

Highly recommended project – I can’t wait to see how all our designs turn out!


To make a quick moss starter, you’ll need:

One or two clumps (about a small handful) of moss
2 cups of buttermilk
2 cups of water (or beer)
1/2 tsp. sugar

a blender
container with lid
paintbrush

How to:

step1.jpg

1. Crumble the moss into the blender – try to remove any pebbles or insects you find.

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2. Add the sugar, buttermilk, water or beer, and blend at the lowest speed until it has the consistency of a milkshake (add more water if necessary).

moss_starter.jpg

3. Paint the mixture onto rocks, logs, pots or statuary, or simply pour it on the ground wherever you’d like your moss to grow.

OR: Create some living graffiti. Paint your chosen design on any shaded, damp vertical or horizontal surface. Porous, moisture-retentive surfaces work best (brick, wood, coarse concrete).

The moss starter method works best if it is kept moist until well-established. A twice-weekly misting with a spray bottle is ideal.

Related posts:

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Filed Under: Resistance is fertile Tagged With: guerilla gardening, moss, moss graffiti, moss graffitti, moss grafitti, moss paint, moss slurry, moss starter, popular

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maggie says

    July 26, 2011 at 7:30 am

    Several days ago I painted a sculpted planter with a thick coating of the moss buttermilk recipe and placed it in shade. Today the planter is still green but covered with white spores. Is this part of the process? Should this be happening?

  2. Modern Gardens says

    February 18, 2012 at 1:40 pm

    This is so great. I painted some rocks in my backyard and its really working :D

  3. Daphne Vega says

    March 14, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    I just tried this on a few different surfaces inside my loft. So far I have sprayed it everyday atleast once, but it keeps getting completely dry by the next time. Is this okay? I did add a bit of clay to the mix to help with sticking.

  4. Dominik says

    April 26, 2012 at 9:52 am

    Hi,
    i tried this the time yesterday. But i couldn´t get the mix to get so thick and heavy as you are saying..it stays a liquid with some tiny pieces of moss inside.. it´s way to thin to paint with it. I tried doing so on a horizontaly laying down wooden plate. This way, it can´t fall of. But i´m not sure it will grow at all. Do you maybe have different kinds of moss in the USA? Or is your buttermilk thicker? I´m from Germany btw.

  5. mumbot says

    July 31, 2012 at 2:57 pm

    Fluffy – try vegan yogurt (I like the plain kind made with coconut milk) it still has the live cultures to encourage moss growth but is vegan and cruelty free so you don’t have to rely on the buttermilk.

  6. Edogawa Khee says

    October 3, 2012 at 12:50 am

    what species of moss can i use for moss graffiti ?? how long do it take for the moss to completely grown ?

  7. Fred says

    March 5, 2014 at 9:00 am

    Hello Guys
    I decided to try your technique but I’m getting mould (2 days after applying to the surface).

    Please is it normal?. How long does it take to begin the moss grouth?.

    Thanks!
    Best regards,
    Fred. Brazil.

  8. angela says

    September 2, 2014 at 6:24 pm

    Hi, I was just wondering how the graffiti project turned out. Did you have success? Any pictures? Thanks. I want to do this in my neighborhood and would like to know how it went for you.
    Angela

  9. Chamin Park says

    May 31, 2021 at 2:44 am

    Hello. I’m in Seoul, Korea. I saw this community by chance. I was so interested in this method! So tried it.
    I use the moss and milk based greek yogurt and some oligo syrup. And I put them on my artwork which is drawed on the wood panel.
    I will try some other ways such as rocks or blocks etc.

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