Growing Lichens With Milk

Three months before this picture was taken there were no visible lichens growing on this light gray limestone rock. The founder of Lichen Lovers brushed milk onto the stone and then sprayed it with distilled water 2-3 times a week during late summer.

The rock was then ignored through the winter, the spring, and the summer. A year after the initial application the rock was looking great! The black lichens developed a green coloration, filled in, and got thicker.

We were monitoring another rock that we sprayed at the same time, and not much seemed to be happening, until we picked the rock up to move it, and large patches of the underside were covered with lichens in less than a year!!! (At least 3 different species, because the underside gets light where it was sitting, and retains moisture better because it is not in direct sunlight.)