Spanish moss is one of those iconic plants that evokes images of sultry southern landscapes draped in wispy, grayish-green strands. While this air plant grows wild across the Gulf Coast region, you can also add its elegance to landscapes and decor across the country. If you’re looking to purchase a live Spanish moss plant for your home or garden, you’ll find these intriguing epiphytes available from a variety of sources.
What Makes Spanish Moss So Unique
With its beard-like appearance and preference for gracefully dripping from tree limbs, Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) offers texture and style quite different from any other plant. Here’s what makes this bromeliad so special:
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It’s an epiphyte, meaning it grows on other plants and objects, absorbing moisture and nutrients from the air. It doesn’t require soil.
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Feathery grayish-green foliage that can cascade up to 20 feet long in ideal conditions.
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Thrives in hot, humid climates and does well indoors.
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Low maintenance and easy to grow.
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Spreads readily through fragmented strands that root easily.
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Adds romantic, ethereal style to gardens and decor.
While Spanish moss won’t survive winters outdoors above the Mason Dixon line, you can easily incorporate its elegance in landscapes and interior spaces across the U.S.
Where to Source Authentic Spanish Moss Plants
Thanks to its uniqueness and charm, it’s easy to find Spanish moss for sale from a variety of retailers:
Online Stores
Purchasing Spanish moss plants from online sellers allows convenient home delivery across the country. Reputable online stores to check include:
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Etsy – Independent growers often offer plants and cuttings.
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eBay – Established sellers frequently list Spanish moss.
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Air Plant Supply Co. – Specializes in various tillandsia species.
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Glasshouse Works – Diverse selection of air plant varieties
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Rare Exotic Seeds – Ships live Spanish moss plants.
Big Box Stores
Large chain stores may carry Spanish moss seasonally, although quantities are limited. Check stores like Walmart, Target, and Ikea for availability.
Local Nurseries
Your local independent garden center may get shipments of Spanish moss during the warmer months. Availability fluctuates but allows hand selection.
Harvesting Wild Plants
In coastal southern states, Spanish moss grows wild and abundantly. With the proper permits, you may be able to collect your own.
When buying Spanish moss, inspect plants closely and shop with reputable sellers that quickly ship fresh material.
Selecting Quality Spanish Moss Plants
Since Spanish moss arrives without roots and requires specialized care, choose robust, healthy specimens when purchasing:
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Look for intact growing tips on the ends of strands.
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Foliage should feel firm and pliable, not brittle or limp.
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Opt for gray-green coloration rather than yellowing or browning.
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Avoid plants with excess debris like leaves or sticks.
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Longer strands exceeding 6 inches give you more to work with.
Vibrant plants that arrive overnight in moist packing have the best chance of thriving in your care.
Caring for Spanish Moss Indoors
While Spanish moss is adaptable, providing the right conditions helps it flourish:
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Light: Bright, indirect sunlight. Avoid direct southern exposure.
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Water: Mist frequently and soak occasionally. Allow drying between waterings.
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Humidity: Prefers 60% or higher. Increase humidity around the plant.
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Air Circulation: Good air movement prevents fungal issues.
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Temperature: Average room temps from 60-80°F. Keep away from cold drafts.
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Fertilizer: Use a bromeliad or orchid fertilizer periodically.
Meeting its preferences helps Spanish moss retain its soft, flowing texture.
Styling with Spanish Moss
There are endless creative ways to showcase Spanish moss inside your home or garden:
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Drape on branches, wreaths, or figures for a whimsical touch.
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Include in terrariums, hanging baskets, and container gardens.
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Wrap on DIY plant supports.
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Frame in shadow boxes, glass terrariums, or glass globes.
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Add wispy texture to the base of flower arrangements.
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Decorate outdoor structures like gazebos, columns, and arbors.
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Incorporate into holiday displays and tabletops.
Let your imagination run wild when highlighting this plant’s free-flowing charm.
Propagating More Spanish Moss
Once established, Spanish moss is easy to propagate just by taking stem cuttings. To root new plants:
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Clip 4-6 inch strands and remove excess debris.
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Place in a container of sphagnum moss or potting mix.
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Keep warm and moist until new roots emerge.
Dividing your Spanish moss allows you to multiply plants for free! Share extras with friends and family.
Bringing the Texture of Spanish Moss Home
With its graceful, dangling strands, Spanish moss is an alluring choice to add striking textures not found in other greenery. Caring for these epiphytic plants is simple when you provide the right growing environment. Display Spanish moss flowing freely as captivating garden or home accents. Let its romantic vibe inspire your indoor plant creativity and transport you to the bayous.
How is it Shipped? Live.
It is shipped alive and fairly tight in the box, but not so compressed that it cannot breathe. The weight listed is the weight of the moss, excluding packaging. The final shipping weight is greater. Note: Moist Spanish Moss will mold if its not dried out before storing. As an extra precaution, best to remove it from the box and fluff it as soon as possible after delivery. Storing Spanish Moss
What is Spanish Moss? It is not a Parasite.
Spanish moss, sometimes called Grandfathers Graybeard or Florida Moss, is soft, graceful, eerie and beautiful all at the same time. A romantic symbol of the South, it is greenish silver after a rain, and grayish-silver at other times.
Spanish moss can grow strands up to 20 feet long especially on Live Oak and Cypress tree branches.
As an epiphyte, an air plant that lives upon other plants, it absorbs nutrients and water from the air and rainfall. It is not a biological parasite in the same sense as some other epiphytes that sap nutrients from the tree.
Processing time before shipping can take up to 10 business days.
1. Shipping calculated in Shopping Cart (ground rates applicable to 48 contiguous states only)
2. Weights above are for moss only. Actual Shipping weights are more.
How to grow Spanish moss air plant | Care tips & propagation (Tillandsia usneoides)
FAQ
Is Spanish moss a good houseplant?
Yes! Spanish Moss can be grown as an air purifying plant but care must be taken as Spanish Moss is very sensitive to poor air quality. In areas of the house such as a kitchen the vapor of cooking can negatively affect Spanish Mosses leaves causing damage to the plant.
Why can’t I touch Spanish moss?
There’s little chiggers living in it that will get on you if you touch it. Those who gather Spanish moss are warned against chiggers, but experienced collectors say chiggers only invade the moss after it touches the ground.
Does Spanish moss come back every year?
Regrowth from Roots
One of the remarkable features of Spanish Moss is its robust root system. This strong foundation enables the plant to regrow each year, ensuring its survival through various conditions. Spanish Moss has a unique ability to draw moisture and nutrients directly from the air.
Where is the best place to plant Spanish moss?
Spanish moss grows well in wet and humid areas. It can tolerate full sun or part shade. It grows best on living trees but can grow on dead branches and fences. Plants are dormant in dry weather and can regrow after rain.
Is Spanish moss a parasite?
Spanish moss is not a biological parasite in the same sense as some other epiphytes. It is an air plant that lives upon other plants and absorbs nutrients and water from the air and rainfall. Spanish moss can grow strands up to 20 feet long especially on Live Oak and Cypress tree branches.
Can Spanish moss be grown in pots?
Spanish moss from Mosser Lee can be grown in pots. The attractive grey strands easily pull apart and expand to meet any pot size. They don’t interfere with watering and fertilizing your plants. Professionals use Spanish moss for soil cover in an indoor pot to cover the drab appearance of the soil. It adds the finishing touch to any potted plant. Many, many more…
Does Spanish moss harm trees?
Spanish moss is an epiphytic flowering plant that rarely kills trees as it clings to their branches. It belongs to the Tillandsia genus of bromeliads and absorbs nutrients and water through its own leaves from the air and rainfall, without roots.
Is there a moss plant?
There is also Ball Moss. Tillandsia recurvata, right, is similar to Spanish moss except it is compact and has larger growth, which also makes it easier to get an edible nibble. It blooms in the spring with a blue-violet flower and tends to be about the size of a baseball but can be smaller or much larger.
What is Spanish moss used for in arrangements?
Spanish moss, when fresh or live, is soft and pliable and is most commonly used in the floral trade for adding texture to the base of fresh arrangements. More uses exist.
Can Spanish moss grow on cypress trees?
It prefers moist environments 50 to 90ºF but can survive well in dry habitats too. Spanish Moss is usually found on oaks or cypress trees — it likes the chemicals that leach form the trees’ bark — but can be found on other species such as pine or sweet gum. METHOD OF PREPARATION: Growing tips are pulled out of their sheath.