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The origin of the moss

Mosmuur consciously chooses sustainable cultivation. Our moss creations are made with Norwegian reindeer moss from bio-reserves and therefore carry an eco-label. These reindeer mosses resemble small, croplike shrubs, and are colored green-gray by nature. The mosses are picked, colored and stabilized, then assembled and processed in our workshop in Antwerp.

The cultivation of reindeer moss or Cladonia Stellaris

The mosses used for moss frames, paintings and walls are the Norwegian ‘reindeer mosses’. This moss has hollow branches without marrow, making it look like a plant. In reality it is a natural organism that is composed of a symbiotic life form of a weed and a fungus.

 

The lichen lives in a nature area of about 3000 km2 and is harvested under government supervision. This process is completely harmless to nature and the mosses automatically reappear. After harvesting, the mosses are collected and cleaned and prepared for further processing.

The stabilization process of moss

After harvesting the moss, this is naturally treated with a chlorophyll gel or glycerine, so that the structure of the moss remains soft and the plant reacts in a dirt-repellent and fire-retardant manner. This process is also used to ‘set up’ and store plants. When the humidity drops below 25%, the moss can start drying out, causing the elastic effect to decrease. When the humidity rises, however, the moss will again become smoother and more elastic. After this process the mosses can be mounted on panels.

 

We do not use chemical bonding but natural resin. The mosses can be colored by adding natural pigments to the glycerin during the process.

 

More information about the natural pigments and colors can be found here .

 

More information about humidity? Watch this video.

Voor eeuwig groen en natuurlijk

The work is 100% sterile, the plants are treated with liquid polymer, and thus have undergone a kind of stabilization process, which causes them to end up in hibernation and stay green and naturally soft. During this chemical treatment (in which natural color pigments can also be added), all germs, spores or bacteria are killed and the moss becomes completely sterile. This is of great importance if you want to use the moss walls in the care sector or catering industry, where a germ-free environment is required.

 

It is a sustainable process in which the mosses get a permanent antibacterial coating (a layer around the organisms, such as a paint). This coating consists of bio-polymers that exert this bactericidal function. This is a well-known preservation technique that is also used in the global medical sector, in germ-free laboratories and in preservation processes in the food industry. Mosmuur is the only market player with a completely ecological method. The plants remain completely intact and retain their natural appearance.

 

The work is therefore permanently antibacterial, there will never be any risk for fungi, spores or bacteria. The moss is also dust / dirt repellent and because there are no natural sap flows (all water is replaced by acetyol / polymer during the chemical process) the moss will not attract or accommodate insects. This makes our moss walls a perfect alternative for houseplants or office greens.