View of Benner's house and roof before installation from a hill in his moss garden
EPDM roof membrane - 550 square feet
10 degree pitch
Dan and Harris install the "retain and drain" mat and permaloc edging
The bucket brigade - Rob Benner and others shoveled and carried the growing media from the pallet to the roof
Dan rakes the growing media onto the water retention mat
Nancy carefully allocates the growing media
Bev Young helps Charlie Miller fasten the filter fabric to the permaloc edging.
Growing media atop water retention mat, a nylon core felt of fused, entangled filaments and a geotextile water retention fabric bonded to one side (see lower left corner).
Laying down the edging over the retain-and-drain mat.
Fastening the edging to the retain-and-drain mat
Attaching the edging to the retain-and-drain mat.
View of Benner's roof from back in his moss garden
Growing media is caught by filter fabric so it won't leak out
Charlie Miller calibrates the growing media to a consistent depth
Live (dormant), dried, pre-ground moss in the box in which it was sent.
Charlie Miller and Al Benner spread moss, staying close to the growing media so the moss does not blow away
Applying the moss - a mix of 60% hypnum imponens (sheet moss)
Moss roof at completion of installation. The entire roof was watered to set the moss into the growing medium and to activate the water-retention gel and tacifying agent.
Al Benner after installation. Powder is a tacifying agent that will help the moss adhere to the growing medium.
Observers and part of the crew are treated to a tour of Dave Benner's moss garden.
The bucket brigade - Dan, Harris, Al, Suzanne, Dave, Nancy, Kevin
A moss path in Benner's yard
Trillium in Benner's yard
A visitor to Dave Benner's moss garden, enjoying a cool spot next
2 weeks after installation - the moss starts to establish -
2 weeks after installation -the moss establishes with the help of netting and a consistent watering regimen.
2 weeks after installation - close up of moss as it establishes on the growing media
3 months later - moss is knitting together to form a mat. In the meantime, a new moss has landed on the bricks.
3 months later. Since inoculation, the moss has been covered by 1/4" netting (not shown here) and watered daily with an oscillating sprinkler.
Close up, 3 months later. Moss takes to the growing media and starts to fill in.
