---
title: Christmas moss in a terrarium | Glass Jar Garden
description: Christmas moss (Vesicularia montagnei): Neat triangular fronds like little fir trees. Needs light 800 to 10,000 lux, humidity 85 to 100 % RH, temperature 20...
url: https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/vesicularia-montagnei/
---

Moss

# Christmas moss
Vesicularia montagnei

Easy · Fine in a closed jar

Neat triangular fronds like little fir trees.

## What the simulation uses

- Light: 800 to 10,000 lux (The brightness it grows well in.)

- Humidity: 85 to 100 % RH (Air moisture it is happy in; below the lower end it dries out.)

- Temperature: 20 to 28 °C (Comfortable range; outside it growth slows.)

- Dies at: below 8 or above 32 °C (Days beyond these temperatures kill it.)

- Soil pH: 5.5 to 7.5 pH (Soil acidity it prefers.)

- Grows up: 0.2 cm/month (How fast it gains height in good conditions.)

- Spreads: 0.4 cm/month (How fast its edge creeps outwards.)

- Thickens: 4 %/month (How fast its cover fills in on its own ground.)

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

- Copes with still air: excellent (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: poor (How well it survives the jar drying out.)

- Water use: 0.045 ml/cm²/day (Water that evaporates off the cushion each day in room air.)

- Holds water: 0.18 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: Wet, copes with standing water

## What kills it

- drying out
- heat above ~30 C
- algae/debris smothering

## Description
This Asian tropical moss grows on damp rock and bark. It is slower and tidier than Java moss but needs constant humidity. Protect it from drying, heat above about 30 °C and debris settling on it.

Also called xmas moss.

Estimated, where sources were thin: light_lux; growth rate; temp_c (assumed like Java moss); ph.

## Sources

- [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesicularia_montagnei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesicularia_montagnei)
- [tropica.com/en/plants/plantdetails/vesicularia-montagnei-christmas-moss/4518](https://tropica.com/en/plants/plantdetails/vesicularia-montagnei-christmas-moss/4518)

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

[Brocade moss](https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/hypnum-imponens/) · [Common apple-moss](https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/bartramia-pomiformis/) · [All moss](https://glassjar.garden/guide/moss/)