While some gardeners perceive the star moss (Sagina subulata), which sometimes settles wildly, as a disruptive factor in the lawn and fight it accordingly, other garden owners appreciate it because of its pretty abundance of flowers with the characteristic star shape that gives it its name. The plant is basically considered to be rather short-lived, but in this country it is still hardy in most regions without protection.

Sternmoos has no problem with sub-zero temperatures

Overwinter the Sternmoos properly outdoors

The star moss also tolerates cold temperatures down to a range of minus 15 or 20 degrees Celsius for a short time. Therefore, wintering in an outdoor bed is possible without any problems in most locations. While other plants often enjoy being covered with a special protective fleece in winter, this can lead to problems with star moss: the plant can certainly have problems with frost in winters with little snow, but it can only tolerate the moisture that accumulates under fleece or a layer of leaves very bad. Therefore, the Sternmoos is often better to overwinter in partially shaded locations than in a sunny place, since in the partially shaded area there is more of a continuous snow cover with less large temperature fluctuations.

This can lead to plant damage in Sternmoos in winter

The biggest enemy of the star moss in winter is not frosty temperatures, but a build-up of moisture from soil that is too wet or being covered with leaves and similar materials. Therefore, in locations under trees, remove any leaf cover before the first snowfall to minimize the risk of mold growth. In the spring, the star moss can be displaced when more dominant and faster-growing plants take over the "helm" in the perennial bed or rock garden. Therefore, pay attention to potential wild herb growth early in the year and weed accordingly. The root rot that occurs on Sternmoos in winter can be prevented by making heavy substrate more permeable at the site before planting with some gravel, sand or compost.

Allow the plants to mature sufficiently before winter

An important factor for the ability to hibernate in the star moss is also the "maturity" of the plants, which can be influenced by the following factors:

  • time of sowing
  • planting time
  • fertilization

If the Sternmoos is to be planted in autumn as a lawn substitute, this should not be done too late. The seeds should also be sown in good time so that they can develop into strong plants before winter. The fertilization of Sternmoos should be completed by the end of July, otherwise it will not switch from the growth phase to hibernation in time.

tips

If the star moss shows bare spots in the middle of its cushions after the winter, this does not have to be due to the low temperatures. In spring, simply cut off parts of the star moss that are protruding at the sides and use them to fill in areas that have become bare.

Category:

Vegetable garden