Newbie to mossariums with many questions…

Looking to build my first mossarium… I’ve been reading around here and r/springtails and r/terrariums, elsewhere online, etc., but still have a few (many, sorry) questions. I had originally planned to order moss online, but I’ve been noting so much cool moss right in my local area that I sort of want to see if I can grow some native moss (and might be a cheaper way to try out a mossarium before I lay out money in buying a lot of stuff online). Thank you in advance for the help!

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1. Is there a good place to look up types of moss that are native to Michigan so I can see what I’m finding? I’ve googled it but I’m just not finding much. Kind of looking for something that shows pictures and then tells what the picture is. (Part of the problem, though, is that most of the moss I’m finding is not in great health– it’s not well-grown, some of the types I think are different might be the same kind at different stages of growth, etc. It may just be that I’ll have to plant some, hope it grows nicely, and figure it out once there’s really enough to see.)

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2. Has anyone had good success doing this? I know I’ve read temperate-type mosses aren’t ideal for an always-humid mossarium. Is there a good way to give them a “dry period” that I’ve heard they like? I’ll open the jar for a bit every few days like I’ve heard I should, but do I need to also give them a period of days or weeks when I should just leave the top open and allow it to dry in there a bit?

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3. Can I buy a substrate mix from a pet store locally rather than having to order online and pay extra in shipping/spend a ton to buy the components separately to mix myself and end up with way more than I need? (I don’t know of any gardening stores locally that have such a thing.) Most won’t work, but a few seem to have the elements I’ve read one should mix. For example:

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“Proprietary bend of natural minerals including Peat Moss, Soil, Sand and Carbon”: [https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/substrate-and-bedding/zoo-med-creatures-creature-soil-50368.html?cgid=500120&fmethod=Browse](https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/substrate-and-bedding/zoo-med-creatures-creature-soil-50368.html?cgid=500120&fmethod=Browse)

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“A special blend of Peat Moss, soil, sand, and carbon”: [https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/substrate-and-bedding/zoo-med-reptisoil-43687.html?cgid=500120&fmethod=Browse](https://www.petsmart.com/reptile/substrate-and-bedding/zoo-med-reptisoil-43687.html?cgid=500120&fmethod=Browse)

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“Made with a blend of tree fern, fir bark, tropicoco soil, sphagnum moss and charcoal.”: [https://www.chewy.com/galapagos-bioactive-soil-tropical/dp/336507](https://www.chewy.com/galapagos-bioactive-soil-tropical/dp/336507)

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4. If I want to quarantine my moss for a while (a month or two?) before building the mossarium, does it need substrate? Or can I just put it into a plastic container temporarily? Will it need springtails? I assume yes and yes? If so, once quarantine is over, can I “recycle” that substrate and the springtails to create my mossarium, or should I start fresh for sake of being absolutely sure?

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5. I assume it’s a bad idea to forgo springtails, so I’ll need to find a place/way to collect some. I’m just not sure how I feel about this… I don’t know what the “range” of springtails usually is; I know they’re “just insects” and I’m overthinking this, but I don’t want to be cruel by confining them to a small jar if they’re used to spreading out over a wide area.

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6. How many springtails would I need to start out with (IOW, when I’m collecting, how do I know I have enough– I know they’ll breed, but not sure how fast)? The jars I have are about 7-8″ in diameter. And do I need to feed them (brewer’s yeast) initially, in a new mossarium that may not yet have mold or whatever for them to eat? I’d read something once that suggests I do. How do I know if I need to feed them at any point? It sounds from some things I’ve read like they may head for the top if they’re hungry, but it also sounds like that will be when things are really dire and I’d rather they not get to that point?

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7. A question for future if I buy moss online. I’ve read that tropical moss is better than temperate. Having some trouble figuring out what tropical moss is, though. I see sold mosses like mood moss, cushion moss, sphagnum, etc., but the sites I’m finding are harvesting them in the U.S. wild in places like Appalachia and such. Are these tropical mosses, just growing in a non-tropical area? Or is there something else I should be looking for? (I’ve also heard one can use aquarium mosses– Christmas moss etc… how do I know which can be grown not-underwater, or would that be all of them?)

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8. I’m not certain how the online places get their moss, either. I mean, it’s from private land, but can an area really grow enough moss to support commercial harvesting while there still being enough moss to sustain itself? Or do they harvest moss from land and then propagate it indoors from there out? (Obviously I would like to do this as sustainably as, and without causing any more harm than, necessary. That’s also a possible worry when buying substrate because I’ve read peat/sphagnum in the mixes often isn’t sustainably-harvested and that’s my biggest concern with buying a large-commercial mix from a pet store or something.)

by Katia144