PlantAdvice.co.uk

When you have moss growing in the lawn there is usually an underlying cause and the moss is just a symptom of the problem.

The cause could be that the site is too shady, the soil itself may not have sufficient drainage or maybe the grass is starved of nutrients; weak, vulnerable and in need of food.

Whatever the cause, if you don’t deal with the underlying problem the chances are that the moss will return even after you have removed it all.

So if you have moss in your lawn here are some points to consider:

1. Do a soil test, if your soil is heavy clay it will require annual addition of sharp sand to improve drainage.
2. Aerate your lawn every autumn, using a machine or hand-tool that removes a plug, refilling the holes with sharp sand. Don’t use a fork to aerate the lawn, this just adds to soil compaction.
3. Scarify your lawn every Autumn. Use a decent lawn rake rather than a machine because machines don’t tend get all of the moss. Raking a lawn with a rake is also an excellent way to keep fit! You can also lightly rake the lawn in Spring, removing further thatch and moss.
4. If moss is a problem on shady patches of the lawn there are shade tolerant grass seed varieties that may be more successful in such conditions.
5. Keep your lawn healthy by feeding it regularly with a fertiliser high in Nitrogen. Well-fed, healthy lawns will compete strongly against moss.
6. If there is a serious drainage problem it may be worth consulting a turf drainage specialist about a installation of a drainage system.