Dried moss is a popular crafting material that is often purchased. This need not be. You can also easily dry moss in the oven. You can find out how this works and which varieties are best suited here.
At Easter, in autumn and at Christmas - moss is an all-round talent when it comes to creative handicrafts. Wreaths, nests and flower arrangements are decorated with moss to create a contrast to colored figures or flowers.
You can buy ready-dried moss in stores, but that is by no means necessary, because it can also be easily dried at home in your own oven. Garden owners in particular who are plagued by moss have a number of possible uses. However, to ensure that the drying process does not go wrong, you should follow the tips below.
Drying moss - This is how it works in the oven
If you dry moss in the oven, you can do this particularly quickly. Because compared to drying in the air or on the heater, much less time is lost during drying. At the same time, this is not the most environmentally friendly method. After all, the oven uses electricity, while drying on the heater or in the air is much more sustainable and also cheaper.
However, thanks to the temperatures prevailing there, drying moss in the oven is a good option for killing small animals that may live in the moss.
Because when drying moss, it is not only important that the excess moisture is removed from the moss. In order to make the moss durable, it must also be cleaned of live animals and microbes. This works reliably in the oven. The following precautions are recommended before even putting the moss in the oven:
❶ It is best to rinse the moss with water (boiling, from a kettle or saucepan) to take action against insects etc. from the start
❷ Then allow the moss to drain sufficiently
❸ Now line a baking tray with plenty of kitchen paper (preferably several layers)
❹ Place the moss on the baking tray
❺ Please do not duplicate itPut layers of moss on the baking tray, as the drying process will then take longer
Since the moss should only be placed in the oven on the lowest fan setting anyway, it is not absolutely necessary to let the oven heat up first. However, the moss should be turned after ten minutes at the latest to ensure even drying. In order to achieve the best possible results, it makes sense if the oven door is not completely closed, but instead remains slightly open. When turning the pieces of moss, you need a sure instinct. This is the only way to ensure that the pieces of moss do not break apart into smaller individual parts.
More alternatives to drying moss
As already mentioned, moss can dry not only in the oven, but also on the heater and in the air. While air drying is ideal in the warmer seasons, drying moss on the heater is only possible in colder weather periods. In the oven, on the other hand, moss can be dried all year round within a shorter period of time. This is particularly advantageous when time is of the essence. Because the drying process is simply faster in the oven.
This method is also preferred by many people because they consider drying in the oven to be a more effective protection against moss-decomposing organisms. Although moss should be doused with boiling water for any type of drying, the temperatures in the oven are higher than on the heater or with air drying. This gives more security if some stubborn "plant decomposers" should have survived the hot water bath.
But there are also people who would never want to dry moss in their oven. This is for a simple reason. Because if pests are found in the moss, they can also get into the home oven. Although they cannot survive there anyway due to the high temperatures, the mere thought is already terrifying for some people.
Optimal moss for further processing
If you don't want to be bothered with broken pieces of moss in the oven, you shouldn't use just any moss you like. The following types of moss have proven to be the best:
- peat moss
- Liverwort
Moss is best found in shady places. If you want to collect moss in the wild, you shouldn't take more than half of the thick cushions. This is extremely important so that themoss plant has a chance to regenerate afterwards. If this is not desired because the moss in the garden is considered a nuisance, the entire moss can be removed.
Air Dry Moss
When drying in the open air, the following tips should be heeded in addition to cleaning with boiling water:
- Place the moss in a colander to pour water over it
- Then allow the moss to drain sufficiently well and for a long time
- Then place the moss on kitchen paper (the kitchen paper should be as absorbent as possible, meaning it should be of the highest quality)
As an alternative to drying in the oven, you can find a place that is as dark and sufficiently airy as possible to let moss dry in the air in your own home. This process usually takes a few days. With a triple layer of kitchen paper, which should be particularly absorbent, the moss can also be placed directly on the heater to dry.
Since the temperatures are higher there than in the pure indoor air, it is important to turn the moss over once a day. After the moss has dried completely, it should be removed from the heater as soon as possible. In addition, the radiator must not be too hot, as the moss should dry out slowly and evenly.
Drying moss - how it keeps its green color
If you want to use moss for handicrafts or decorations, you want it to keep its original color, which is green. However, this can be lost during drying. However, to prevent this from happening, you should do the following:
❶ Mix 2 parts glycerin with 1 part denatured alcohol
❷ Soak the moss with this mixture
❸ Let the mixture work for a good 10 minutes
❹ Then the moss let it dry
❺ In this way, the moss is permanently preserved and still shines in a particularly beautiful shade of green