Sow your Rose Moss seeds into the ground. If you plant outside, wait until all frost risk has passed – usually this means late spring. If your area doesn’t experience frost, you can sow the seeds around March. Be aware that Rose Moss cannot germinate without full sun on the seed itself. If the seed is pushed too far under the soil the seeds will not sprout. Mix the seeds with some sand. You’ll find that Moss Rose seeds are extremely small: be careful not to crowd them together in the planting position. You can try mixing fine seed with sand as this makes it easier to sow without crowding. Seeds need to be sown about 8 inches (20.3 cm) apart. Put the seeds onto pre-watered fine soil or compost, then cover with 1?8 inch (0.3 cm) of fine compost. Water using a very fine spray or mist of water to prevent the seeds from being disturbed. Use a gentle watering stream. It’s important not to use a strong stream of water, eg from a hose, or you will wash away the seeds and young seedlings. Instead, use a watering can with a very fine rose (nozzle attachment), or use a spray bottle to mist water over the top of the soil. You don’t need to overwater the seeds as they germinate. Give

them a soak when you sow them then allow the soil to dry out before gently watering again. Water your Moss Roses once or twice a week when they grow into seedlings. Moss Rose seeds germinate fairly quickly. As the young seedlings emerge you should continue gently watering them to prevent washing the small plants away. Watering once or twice a week in dry conditions is fine; ideally let the top 2 inches (5.1 cm) of ground dry out between waterings. After a few weeks you will have stronger plants and the roots will have grown enough to anchor the plants to the soil, meaning they can tolerate a stronger flow of water. Continue watering weekly in dry periods once the plants are established. Purchase the necessary materials for germinating your seeds inside. If you choose to germinate your Rose Moss seeds indoors you’ll need quite a few additional materials than outdoors. These include: A seed tray or seed mat. A covered protected area in a well-lit room. A spray bottle capable of misting (not spraying). Germination soil that has been sanitized for seedlings. A sheet of plastic, such as plastic wrap. Sanitize your soil. If you do not have sanitized germination soil begin by placing a

few cups of soil no more than 4 inches (10.2 cm) deep in a metal pan. Cover with foil and heat in the oven at 180 degrees for no more than 30 minutes. Allow to cool and keep covered until ready to plant. Moisten the soil with water. Place the sterilized soil in your seed tray and moisten with clean water until the soil is completely moist. Sow the seeds directly on top of the soil and do not cover with additional soil. Place the plastic wrap loosely over the top of the tray and place the tray in a warm, well-lit room, but not in direct sun or under heat lamps. Mist the soil when it appears dry. When the soil appears dry, mist with water from your spray bottle. If the soil needs more than misting set the trays in a small amount of water and allow the water to soak up from the bottom. Water your Rose Moss frequently once the seedlings appear. Once seedlings appear you may water normally and move the tray to a more sunnier location. Select your cuttings. It’s easier to grow Moss Rose from cuttings than from seed and this is an easy way to quickly make a lot of new plants. It’s best to take cuttings for around 3 times more plants than you require to allow for some cuttings to fail

– although you may experience a better success rate than this. Take 4 inch (10.2 cm) sections of healthy growth, remove the lower 2 inches (5.1 cm) of foliage, then insert about an inch into the soil. Firm the soil gently around the cutting. After this your Moss Rose cuttings should root pretty quickly. Water your cutting once it is planted. It’s generally best to root cuttings outside as they prefer sun, but you can also try planting your cuttings on a sunny window ledge. Give the cuttings a good watering when first planted, then refrain from watering until the top 2 inches (5.1 cm) of soil become dry. Consider growing your cuttings in water. Cuttings will also root in water. Take the cuttings as described above and instead of putting into soil, put them into a glass container with 1 or 2 inches (2.5 or 5.1 cm) of water at the bottom. The roots should be visible fairly quickly. Once decent roots have formed, move them to their planting location in soil. Water your Rose Moss regularly. Rose Moss will tolerate drought but it’s best to water them regularly for best performance. Avoid using a hose pipe or sprinkler as this will damage the delicate flowers. Irrigation works well

as this waters the roots not the foliage. Alternatively, you can water at the base of the plant using a can. As these are desert plants, you should water them about once a week, then allow the soil to dry out before watering again. The soil should not be waterlogged or wet over a long period of time. Remove dead blooms. It’s best if you remove dead blooms once they wither, as this will encourage new flowers. You can just pinch off dead flowers with your fingertips. Trim the plants back when they begin to fade. Moss Rose will keep blooming all summer and into fall but by the height of summer they may be a little past their best. If this happens, trim the plants back by around a third and provide a light water-soluble fertilizer such as tomato feed. Protect your plants against aphids. You may find that your Moss Rose plants attract aphids. Control aphid attacks with an insecticide spray, or using dish soap dissolved in water in a spray can. You can also hose them off with a high-pressure hose but this will usually be too strong for the delicate blooms of a Moss Rose. Slugs and snails may also attack young plants. There are a variety of ways to control these but none work as well as

pellets. Propagate your Rose Moss. Rose Moss will propagate cheerfully all by itself in your garden. If you want to help it along, or control where it spreads, you have several options for making new plants from your old one. Remember Moss Rose is an annual plant so it won’t survive to flower again the following year. For this reason, it’s a good idea to propagate your plants annually to ensure you have a flowering Moss Rose in your garden every year.