The dataset supports a larger study that examined the impacts of three tackifiers (guar, psyllium, and polyacrylamide) on growth of two dryland mosses (Bryum argenteum and Syntrichia ruralis). Moss fragments were grown in petri dishes and subjected to individual tackifiers in one of three possible concentrations (0.5x, 1x, or 2x) of the respective manufacturer's recommended application rate. Distilled water was used as a control treatment, giving a total of ten treatments (nine tackifier-concentration combinations and a water control). Bryum fragments were watered four times daily for six weeks and Syntrichia fragments were watered twice daily for five weeks, after which the experiments were concluded. Shoot length, shoot number, gemma presence, protonema presence, bound sand mass, and moss organic matter mass were all measured at the end of the experiments. This dataset reports all measurements and calculations related to Syntrichia ruralis.