
Living mulches have been tested around the globe as an understory to many crops including trees.
Living mulches work in three ways: Fixing the atmospheric Nitrogen (N2) that is important for the main crop, recycling soil nutrients, and enhancing soil nutrient availability for the bonsai tree.
In bonsai mosses are used as a living mulch to enhance growth (although some people think they are only there to enhance the look of the tree). Sphagnum moss in particular is used around the roots of sick or ailing trees. Normal forest moss is used as a covering for the potting medium.
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