soil Regular moss as a topping for soil

[kartupelis]

Hey! Just a quick disclaimer: I'm completely new to growing whatsoever and have little to no understanding of how nature works.
I have a few seedlings growing ever-so-slowly on my windowsill and thought to myself one day that covering the "blank" soil underneath with some moss would be interesting.
I ran a few google searches but they mostly crossed with themes regarding "peat moss". My main question would be: how would the moss effect my plants?
Other than making the top of they soil "thicker" and using a bit of the water I give to plant itself I have no knowledge of how the moss will effect the soil and the plant.
 
Ps. I have zero understanding of how commas work in the English language. Sorry for that!

 

[cruzzfish]

Moss would make the soil dry more slowly.
 
 
PS. Comma works with a slight pause. If you were saying something out loud and you were going to pause a little bit, that's where you put the comma when you write it down.

 

[Topsmoke]

while covering your soil is always a good idea, (think mulch yes even in pots) the moss would actually cause your soil to dry faster. Moss needs alot of water and constant misting.  It would starve your pepper of moisture.  Even on bonsais they only put the moss on for show and recommend removing it when not showing.  Now mulch, mulch is great!  Retains water when soil is saturated releases it when soil dries, protects the soil from pathogens and burrowing insects, provides habitat for beneficial microbes and enriches the soil over time. I mean not that Im super jazzed by mulch or anything

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

  Now mulch, mulch is great!  Retains water when soil is saturated releases it when soil dries, protects the soil from pathogens and burrowing insects, provides habitat for beneficial microbes and enriches the soil over time. I mean not that Im super jazzed by mulch or anything

 
 
 
     You forgot to add that it reduces soil compaction and prevents weeds, too.Yay mulch! 

 

[kartupelis]

 
 
 
     You forgot to add that it reduces soil compaction and prevents weeds, too.Yay mulch! 

 
Soil compaction? Is it bad that I pressed the wet soil (somewhat firmly) into the container? It's in a plastic cup, I can squeeze the sides if there is need to loosen it up. (Hope I did the comma part correctly. Hehe!)
 
So, overall: moss=bad, mulch=good. Are there any other decorative covers that are plant friendly yet look natural (glass marbles sound awful)?

 

[Hybrid Mode 01]

 
Soil compaction? Is it bad that I pressed the wet soil (somewhat firmly) into the container? It's in a plastic cup, I can squeeze the sides if there is need to loosen it up. (Hope I did the comma part correctly. Hehe!)
 
So, overall: moss=bad, mulch=good. Are there any other decorative covers that are plant friendly yet look natural (glass marbles sound awful)?

 
     It's good to firm the media a bit when planting to avoid air pockets in the mix. But you don't want to pack it down hard. It's difficult for air to penetrate packed soil and roots need to breathe.
     Since these are just seedlings, aesthetics probably aren't of much importance right now. Some growers put a layer of sand or perlite in their pots to discourage fungus gnats and damping off.

 

[kartupelis]

I see! No need to raise the alarm just yet. Thank you!

 

[Topsmoke]

 
 
 
     You forgot to add that it reduces soil compaction and prevents weeds, too.Yay mulch! 

wow im slipping, I'll cover up by saying I didn't mention that because were talking pots not garden.

 
Soil compaction? Is it bad that I pressed the wet soil (somewhat firmly) into the container? It's in a plastic cup, I can squeeze the sides if there is need to loosen it up. (Hope I did the comma part correctly. Hehe!)
 
So, overall: moss=bad, mulch=good. Are there any other decorative covers that are plant friendly yet look natural (glass marbles sound awful)?

First and this is so vitally important you must burn it into your memory -
 
plastic cups SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! dont use them.   they never drain right i dont care how many holes you put in them.  If you dont want to spend the measley few bucks on true plastic pots make them from newspaper, works really well when you push them all together.  This is a bit tedious if your making more than 30 so im using soil blocks this year. 
 
you could mulch with stones if you wanted, i recommend wood chips.

 

[kartupelis]

plastic cups SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! dont use them.   they never drain right i dont care how many holes you put in them.  If you dont want to spend the measley few bucks on true plastic pots make them from newspaper, works really well when you push them all together.  This is a bit tedious if your making more than 30 so im using soil blocks this year. 
 
you could mulch with stones if you wanted, i recommend wood chips.

 
I use two plastic cups because I want the roots of the plants to grow through the hole at the bottom and where I'd put a nutrient solution to give the plant a boost. 
I saw it on a youtube video and for the guy who suggested it, this method seems to work really well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eqbEtsCWzg
I have no understanding of the science behind this whatsoever and thus won't argue if anyone says it's not good. If growing in pots of soil is better by default, I'll transplant them once they grow a bit...or sooner if needed.
 
I live in a dorm which means I have little space and light resources. The plants sits on a south-west(ish) windowsill and has two sets of true leaves (third is just coming out). Here's how it all looks now.
I intend for the plants to fuse together, that's why I "braided" them together.
 
Again - I'm just doing things for the heck of it not because I know stuff so please don't throw rocks at me. Hehe!

 

[kentishman]

Peppers and moss have different light requirements, at least here where I live in South Carolina. Peppers need a lot of light, as in direct sun, to do well, but moss is usually found thriving in a shady location. I don't think both plants can grow to their best in the same pot. If you can make it work, it would look really cool. Good luck!

And don't worry about your commas, you did a good job.

 

[Hawaiianero]

I've used sphagnum moss to help retain moisture around other plants. The moss I got from the rainforest and the plants were in minimum 8 hours direct sunlight so the moss didn't live very long. It did however help to maintain moisture in the soil even after it turned completely brown.

 

[Topsmoke]

 
 I'm just doing things for the heck of it not because I know stuff so please don't throw rocks at me. Hehe!

i was just saying as a general rule plastic cups cause drainage issues which is the root cause of many a brown thumbed gardeners woes.  but your doing your own deal so its different experimentation is great hope it works out

 

[kartupelis]

i was just saying as a general rule plastic cups cause drainage issues which is the root cause of many a brown thumbed gardeners woes.  but your doing your own deal so its different experimentation is great hope it works out

 
I'm sorry! I didn't mean to imply that anyone is being offensive or aggressive in any manner. I just wasn't aware of the attitude towards "new-growers" who often ask many elementary and obnoxious questions.
I am very thankful for every reply.  

 

[Topsmoke]

 
 I just wasn't aware of the attitude towards "new-growers" who often ask many elementary and obnoxious questions.
 

the attitude is "We Love Em!" and actually i just reread your post and saw you were talking about peat moss not Bryophyta (green)moss.  I would worry peat would lower the ph of the soil, in a pot this could be a real problem. Just leaving it on top could also make it difficult to determine when to water.  Ive heard of all types of materials being used as a mulch but i think this is the first time ive heard peat suggested, just funny.  But i dont think i would use it.  You could use spanish moss around the base if your just looking to pretty it up but i would stick to chipped wood.