---
title: Mood moss in a terrarium | Glass Jar Garden
description: Mood moss (Dicranum scoparium): Glossy tufts of swept, curved leaves. The classic mood moss. Needs light 1,500 to 15,000 lux, humidity 55 to 95 % RH,...
url: https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/dicranum-scoparium/
---

Moss

# Mood moss
Dicranum scoparium

Easy · Fine in a closed jar

Glossy tufts of swept, curved leaves. The classic mood moss.

## What the simulation uses

- Light: 1,500 to 15,000 lux (The brightness it grows well in.)

- Humidity: 55 to 95 % RH (Air moisture it is happy in; below the lower end it dries out.)

- Temperature: 8 to 24 °C (Comfortable range; outside it growth slows.)

- Dies at: below -25 or above 45 °C (Days beyond these temperatures kill it.)

- Soil pH: 4 to 5.5 pH (Soil acidity it prefers.)

- Grows up: 0.1 cm/month (How fast it gains height in good conditions.)

- Spreads: 0.05 cm/month (How fast its edge creeps outwards.)

- Thickens: 1.25 %/month (How fast its cover fills in on its own ground.)

- Copes with wet: fair (How well it stands soggy soil; poor means rot comes quickly.)

- Copes with still air: fair (Sealed jars have still air; poor means grey mould finds it.)

- Copes with shade: good (How well it holds on in dim light.)

- Copes with drying: good (How well it survives the jar drying out.)

- Water use: 0.035 ml/cm²/day (Water that evaporates off the cushion each day in room air.)

- Holds water: 0.25 ml/cm² (Water a cm² of moss soaks up and keeps.)

- Grows on: soil, stone, wood (Where it can take hold and spread. Moss that cannot grow on stone thins out there.)

## Care

- Day length: 10 to 14 h

- Substrate: Moist

## What kills it

- waterlogging
- lime
- constantly wet foliage with no airflow

## Description
Tufts stand 2 to 8 cm tall on moist, acid forest soil and handle a dry spell better than most. Waterlogging, lime and leaves that stay wet in still air are its weak points. Give it acid soil and a little air movement.

Also called broom fork-moss, broom moss, wind-swept moss.

Estimated, where sources were thin: growth rate; photoperiod_h.

## Sources

- [nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/1131/1/BRYOATT.pdf](https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/1131/1/BRYOATT.pdf)
- [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicranum_scoparium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicranum_scoparium)
- [ohiomosslichen.org/moss-dicranum-scoparium](https://www.ohiomosslichen.org/moss-dicranum-scoparium/)
- [digitalcommons.mtu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=bryo-ecol-subchapters](https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1061&context=bryo-ecol-subchapters)

[Grow it in a jar](https://glassjar.garden/?guide=moss/dicranum-scoparium)

[Many-fruited thyme-moss](https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/plagiomnium-affine/) · [Red sphagnum](https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/sphagnum-magellanicum/) · [All moss](https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/)