How to Preserve Moss for Decoration & Wall Art [Easy Guide]

Everyone knows that live moss is the most trusty visual tool in the terrarium builder’s toolkit.

But unlike a good piece of equipment, it isn’t particularly hardy. Many moss art projects struggle to provide the conditions needed to keep the moss alive.

Enter preserved moss: the hero of the hour.

There’s no denying that preserved moss is a versatile material.

It’s the lush injection of green in an open terrarium, the un-fadable protagonist in a bright moss display.

Sure, you can buy it, but here at Terrarium Tribe, we like to take the DIY approach. So come with me, and I’ll take you through the preservation process.

Let’s do it!

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There are two main methods of preserving moss.

1. You can use the glycerol, methylated spirit, & warm mater method, which is the one I went with.
2. Or you can skip the methylated spirit and use only glycerol & warm water.

Glycerol (sold commercially as glycerin, so that’s what I’ll call it) is a fat that will replace the moisture in the cellulose, allowing the moss to keep its springy texture.

And the methylated spirit (sold as denatured alcohol) dehydrates the moss, so more glycerin can be absorbed. 

For this reason, the glycerin and denatured alcohol method is more effective, but there are reasons why you might just like to use glycerin, but more on that in a moment…

You can pick up both glycerin and denatured alcohol inexpensively from Amazon.

Can You Preserve Moss Without Glycerin/Chemicals? Safety Info

As far as I know, there is no au naturel method of preserving moss. If you want something to retain life-like qualities in the afterlife, it will take some chemical intervention. 

However, the chemicals involved in this process are very commonly used.

• Glycerol/ glycerin is typically made from soy or coconut and is used in just about everything from food to cosmetics to laxatives. Nice…

It is somewhat toxic in high amounts – I wouldn’t go drinking gallons – but it’s about as friendly a chemical as possible and is certainly safe to use for crafts.

• Methylated spirit/ denatured alcohol, on the other hand, is used primarily as a solvent and fuel, and it is very toxic to consume. Its main ingredient (and humanity’s favorite substance) is ethanol – the alcohol found in wine, beer, and spirits. 

So why is it toxic? Well, it also includes a small amount of methanol, which, despite chemically similar to its readily-consumed boozy neighbor, will land you in the hospital, if not worse. It’s also highly flammable, so no open flames near it, please!

Despite this, denatured alcohol is Healthline-approved safe to use, provided you don’t drink it. 

Stay safe and stick to tequila. 👍

Hopefully, now you know which method you want to go for, so we can move on to the good old green stuff we’ve all been waiting for.

Choosing Real Moss to Preserve

When it comes to custom moss art, the options are limitless.

And the good news is, you can preserve pretty much any moss you fancy, but here are some types of preserved moss to get you started:

• Clumpy mosses – Mood Moss and Cushion Moss.
• Sheet mosses – Fern Moss and Hypnum Moss.
• Imposter mosses – Reindeer Moss (actually a lichen) and Spanish Moss (an epiphytic plant).

For bigger projects, like a moss wall, I recommend using a few different types for maximum visual impact.

The moss game is all about contrast and texture.

Sourcing Your Moss – Where to Buy

When it comes to sourcing your live moss to preserve, I strongly advise against taking it from public places and national parks.

It might be free, but it belongs to the forest floor, and taking it is extremely unsustainable. 

That’s why the moss that we sell is sourced from private land. Only small amounts are harvested at a time, allowing it to regenerate freely. Plus, it’s guaranteed to be 100% organic and pesticide/fungicide-free.

👉 Check out our range of live mosses.

Other Supplies You Need

While glycerin is a miracle ingredient for preserving texture, it isn’t great at keeping the bright green color. 

The moss will perish as you preserve it, meaning the green chlorophyll will no longer be used to photosynthesize, and the natural color will fade somewhat.

You might like to use a dye to keep things bright.

From what I’d read online, food coloring seems to be the most popular choice, but it didn’t work at all for me. The moss retained much more color when I tried fabric dye, so that’s what I’d recommend going with here.

And yes, you can dye it whatever color you want. Be my guest if you want to make a Barbie pink moss wall.

Just know that it isn’t suitable for closed terrariums as the dye could run if it gets wet. That’s why we use real terrarium moss.

You’ll also need a bowl you don’t eat from, gloves, something to stir with, something to measure with, somewhere for the moss to dry (like a rack), and lastly, but importantly, a peg for your nose because it smells nasty…

• 1. Pull out any debris, ensure there are no critters hitching a ride, and rinse it in water until it looks clean.

• 2. Squeeze out the excess water and let it dry as much as possible over the next few days.

• 3. It’s preserving time – crack open a window and get your space well-ventilated.

It was summer when I preserved my moss, so I just did it outdoors. I ended up majorly spilling the mixture so I was glad I did! 😅

• 4. Mix your preserving mixture in your bowl [one part denatured alcohol, two parts glycerin, and two parts warm water- the water needs to be warm for it to work] or [one part glycerin and two parts warm water], mix in any dye you’re using, and give it a good stir.

Because my fabric dye was water soluble, I mixed it into the warm water before adding it to the glycerin and denatured alcohol.

• 5. Put your moss in the bowl and ensure it’s fully submerged; use something heavy to pin it down if necessary.

Leave it to soak for 30 minutes for the denatured alcohol, glycerin, and water solution. Leave it at least an hour if you’re using the glycerin and water solution; though I have read that it can take longer, I don’t think there’s any harm in leaving it a few more hours.

• 6. When it’s time, pull it out, squeeze out the excess liquid like your life depends on it.

• 7. Wash your damn hands and leave it somewhere to dry for a few days until fully dry.

*Please be warned that when the moss is drying, it smells horrendous; I stuck mine in the garage to keep my nostrils safe.

When it’s fully dry, you’re free to use it in your custom design as you see fit. YAY!

Hurrah, you made it! I hope you’ve been significantly less confused than I found myself while researching this.

You’ll have some preserved moss ready for a stunning moss bowl in no time!

Which method have you gone for? Let me know in the comments & feel free to share any tips/tricks you’ve picked up along the way.