How to remove moss from your lawn – A typical problem for gardeners is moss developing in their lawns, especially for those who take great delight in having a spotless patch of grass on their property. Patches of an unforeseen plant emerging can make all that laborious work seem pointless because maintaining a lawn takes a lot of time.
Moss is an indicator that the environment is not ideal for grass to grow. Although the resulting uneven appearance can be frustrating, the issue can be resolved.
One common technique is to use a commercial moss killer, but it’s not the only one. There are alternate lawn care techniques to get rid of the moss and restore your grass to its previous lush, green state if you’d like a more environmentally friendly approach.
For more than 50 years, John has written about gardening, and he frequently responds to inquiries from readers in Amateur Gardening magazine. In addition, he has authored four books and given numerous seminars on horticulture throughout the years.
According to John Negus, moss tends to be an issue on lawns that are shaded for a significant portion of the day and on lawns with poor drainage as a result of compaction. The best course of action is to identify the contributing factors behind the moss’s establishment and alter the current circumstances.
If shadow is the issue, and this also applies to removing moss from a patio or roof, it will be beneficial to increase light levels over the lawn, which could be done by trimming back nearby bushes or trees.
If not, re-seeding these areas with shade-adapted seed could be a good idea, he suggests. These grasses should prevail over the moss since they will be more competitive. Perennial ryegrass and red fescue are two examples. You can also plant a grass seed mixture made especially for shade, like this one from Amazon.
There are various things you may do if high moisture levels or inadequate aeration are the likely culprits, John explains. ‘ The lawn can be aerated and scarified in the late winter. Scarifying will assist in clearing the lawn of dead plant matter so that the soil and grass may breathe more easily. By releasing soil compaction and allowing more air to reach the grass root zone, aeration will boost grass growth while discouraging moss. This Gardzen aerator from Amazon is manual.
After that, top dressing with high-quality grass topsoil might be sufficient to improve the circumstances that are favouring the growth of mosses, and you might not need to take any further steps, advises John. Nonetheless, yearly aeration is always worthwhile.
The grasses will also benefit from fertilising your lawn in the late winter because it will promote their strongest development and give them a chance to start competing with the moss.
for a range] will provide you with a temporary solution, despite the fact that it may be unpleasant for a few weeks, claims John Negus.
Ruth has training in horticulture and has earned credentials from the Royal Horticultural Society. She has a plethora of expertise about lawn care and spends her days writing about and taking pictures of important gardening tasks.
Rake the moss out and compost it once it has become black and died, advises Ruth Hayes. The Royal Horticultural Society advises mixing it with other components when composting to hasten the decomposition process
Ruth says, “You can over-seed the lawn once the moss and weeds are gone and there are bare spots left in the lawn. Early fall is typically the greatest time for this because the temperature will be cooler and more humid. Nevertheless, you can re-sow in spring as long as you keep an eye out for weeds and keep the areas watered for two to three days thereafter if there is little or no rain. Choose the previously indicated grass seed mixture if the region is shaded.
