Viability of Living Moss for Indoor GreenWalls: A Study on Temperature, Humidity, and Irrigation

Harald Zechmeister, Leonie Möslinger, Azra Korjenic, Erich Streit, A. ., Sulejmanovski, Esther Hummel

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

Abstract

There is an increasing demand for green plant walls in indoor environments because of their multifaced benefits, such as aesthetic appeal, indoor air quality improvement, or psychological well-being. Mosses are believed to be excellent for these walls due to their easy application and maintenance. However, so far there is no evidence for their indoor survival. In this study, we tested the moss species Hypnum cupressiforme, Bryachythecium rutabulum, Eurrhynchium angustirete, Thuidium tamariscinum, Streblotrichum convolutum, Syntrichia ruralis, and Ceratodon purpureus for indoor use in living moss walls. We evaluated their vitality through the monitoring of leaf coloration over a twelve month period, subjecting them to varying temperature ranges (14–20 °C), humidity levels (60–100%), and diverse irrigation methods (drip and spray irrigation, 300–1500 mL per day) within controlled climate chambers. Depending on the combination of these variables, mosses survived up to six months. Hypnum cupressiforme and Ceratodon purpureus performed best. However, as the time span of survival was limited, the use of living mosses for indoor purposes at the current stage cannot be recommended. An additional problem is that the requisition of living material such as in the culturing of moss under horticultural conditions is difficult and harvesting from natural environments is detrimental to most habitats.

Original languageEnglish
Article number15625
JournalSustainability
Volume15
Issue number21
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2023

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 106008 Botany

Keywords

  • climate chambers
  • indoor greening
  • irrigation systems
  • light systems
  • living moss
  • monitoring
  • moss wall

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