Have a damp, shady yard? Ditch the grass for cheap, eco-friendly moss.

While moss, with its brilliant color and plush texture, seems to fit naturally into the dreamy landscapes of fantasy novels, the ancient plant can also function as a cost-effective, low-maintenance alternative to an attention-demanding lawn.

“Moss lawns are a good alternative to turf for environmentally minded people or those who want a low-maintenance ground cover that can take some foot traffic,” Darren Strenge, garden manager at the Bloedel Reserve outside Seattle, said by email. “Established moss lawns … don’t need to be mowed or fertilized and can survive without water when you go on vacation.”

That’s because mosses, or bryophytes, aren’t like typical plants. They don’t have true roots or a vascular system for moving food and water. They photosynthesize through their tissue, and they mostly reproduce through spores. They only need low light and regular rain and/or high humidity to thrive. And once they’re established, mosses are forgiving: They can completely dry out, then return to their lush forms after being watered. They can also survive on rocks, concrete walls and tree bark.

If you’re considering trading your lawn for moss ground cover, you must first assess your space to see if the conditions are right. “Notice the ratio of light to dark,” Christine Cook of Mossaics Landscape Design said in an email. “How do shadows move across the area? Most mosses prefer dappled light or darkness.” Wooded passages or shadowed sitting areas are ideal. Side yards sandwiched between tall homes often provide the low light and moist air that mosses need. New moss can lift away from the ground easily, so it’s best to avoid high activity areas where children or pets play.

Here are a few things to consider when making the transition.

Remove existing lawn

If moss is creeping into an already established lawn, the simplest method is to let the moss expand at its own pace. But if you want to expedite the process, remove the grass. You can rent a sod cutter to remove the top inch or two of the lawn, but that could allow weeds to return. A better option is to dig out the grass to the root by hand with a digging fork or shovel to ensure neither the grass nor the weeds will pop back up.

Assess the Soil

After removing the lawn, do a soil test. Most often, moss grows best in acidic soil, though Strenge said he’s also seen it thrive in dryer, alkaline soil. It also helps to have nutrient-rich soil, which encourages moss to spread more quickly. “Moss generally seems to grow slowly or not at all on soils with very low organic matter,” Strenge said. “If anyone is trying to grow moss on light-colored soils or subsoils (usually light in color due to low organic matter), I recommend adding a very well-rotted compost to the soil and mixing it in well.”

Where to source your moss

There are two ways to add moss to the garden: buying it from a local nursery or online retailer, or transplanting it from another part of your yard.

Buying moss is more expensive but will yield quicker results. If you go this route, ask where the moss was grown. You don’t want to import exotic pests that may attack healthy plants, or invasive weeds that spread aggressively. Ideally, the retailer either carefully grows their own moss or buys it from a reputable local or regional grower.

If you’re not sure what kinds of moss to buy, you can start with species commonly found in your local woodlands. In the eastern United States, those include fern moss, haircap moss, pin cushion moss, broom moss, tree apron moss and tree moss, according to Robert Klips, an associate professor emeritus at Ohio State University and the author of “Common Mosses, Liverworts and Lichens of Ohio.” He said by email that tree moss (Climacium americanum), which grows upright with tiny branched stems similar to a tree’s structure, “does very well in shady residential yards, and is often promoted as a substitute for lawn grass.”

Another option is to buy more of what’s already growing in your yard, because it’s probably native to your climate, giving it a better chance of thriving. If you’re not sure what type of moss you have, use your phone to zoom in for a close photo, or use a magnifying glass to check its structure.

“Mosses have a reputation for being difficult to identify, but that’s mainly because they are small,” Klips said. “With the help of a hand lens many mosses can be recognized using the same types of features — branching pattern and leaf shape — that are used to tell trees apart.” If you’re still unsure, take a sample to a local nursery, a university’s horticultural extension, or a master gardener program for identification.

Transplanting moss

Transplanting moss, or moving patches from your land, takes longer, but it’s free. Note to never take moss from the wild. It plays a valuable role in natural ecosystems by soaking up rainfall and preventing erosion, filtering air pollutants and maintaining biodiverse conditions.

If you have a large section of moss in your yard, you can try “fragmentation,” an asexual reproduction method where you break it apart to form new patches. “The process involves collecting suitable mosses and letting them dry,” Strenge said. “Then I rip apart the dried moss into smaller bits and spread those bits over the future moss lawn. Then water them well with a sprinkler and gently walk on them to press them into the soil.”

To encourage your moss fragments to fill in bare spaces, try applying a moss slurry. Spread this buttermilk-enriched concoction over the soil and lightly water or mist the area until rains can keep the soil consistently moist. If you don’t see moss soon, don’t worry; it can take up to six weeks to appear. During the first summer, as the weather warms, you’ll want to ensure the entire area stays moist, but don’t let standing water accumulate. Also, try not to disturb the moss with a rake or foot traffic.

Maintenance

Once the moss is established, it’s fairly low-maintenance. “Since moss can dry out 100% without dying,” Strenge said, “regular watering is less crucial. However, dry moss won’t grow, so providing regular water while establishing a moss lawn will speed up the process.” The main thing you need to do is keep the moss free of weeds and debris so it can receive rain, light and air.

And be patient. Strenge said that, depending on the propagation method, it can take years to establish moss ground cover. But once those soft tufts start to take over, you’ll feel satisfied you went with what Mother Nature intended. “The phrase ‘good things come to those who wait’ applies to moss gardening,” Strenge said.

• Karen Hugg is a certified ornamental horticulturalist and the author of “Leaf Your Troubles Behind: How to Destress and Grow Happiness Through Plants.” Connect with her on Threads, @karenhugg.