Tackling Moss in Lawns
What is Moss?
Moss comes in all sorts of varieties, usually showing up as dense, green or yellow tufts in between your blades of grass.
It isn’t really appreciated by gardeners and homeowners, as it can take over a lawn quickly, stealing the moisture and nutrients your lawn needs to survive.
Unlike traditional weeds, moss doesn’t have root systems, or seeds, it’s a spore producing plant that thrives in damp, shady areas of your garden.
Instead, it relies on short, thread-like structures called rhizoids to anchor itself to the ground / grass, while the leaves absorb moisture and nutrients from the surface and air.
You should keep your lawn healthy so that it can outcompete moss - the healthier your lawn, the less chance moss has to thrive.
Treating Moss in Your Lawn
Moss should ideally be treated in Autumn or Spring to control it before it takes over your grass.
The ideal time to treat moss is in Autumn, as it thrives during the damp and dark Winter months, so killing it before it can release its spores and thrive in ideal winter conditions will mean your lawn can stay healthy throughout its winter dormancy.
If moss has taken over during winter, treating it in Spring will help clear the lawn and get it back on track ready for the growing season.
If you’re dealing with a heavy moss build up right after the winter months, read our Spring Moss Removal After Winter blog to get your lawn back on track.
Moss Killer
Treating the moss with a dedicated moss killer is the essential first step to removing it from your lawn.
It may be tempting to immediately scarify or rake the moss from the lawn for quick results, but this will not actually remove the moss, in fact, it can make the infestation worse by spreading the spores around your lawn.
Moss killer dries out the rhizoids, killing the plant and loosening its grip on your grass, so it’s then easy to rake out.
There are lots of different moss killers available which you can find in most garden centres, but we’d recommend any that contains Ferrous Sulphate (Iron).
Iron can both kill the moss effectively whilst avoiding damaging your grass, the nutrient can even give the lawn a deep green boost.
You can apply moss killer in a liquid spray (which is ideal for ensuring even, thorough coverage over larger lawns) or in granular form (usually combined with a fertiliser) where you then water the lawn after applying to dissolve the granules so it can filter down directly into the moss and soil.
If using a spray, make sure to not get any on surrounding patios or pathways as it can leave orange stains which are hard to remove.
Granular moss killer should also ideally be applied with a spreader so you can ensure even coverage. If applied unevenly, you can risk concentrated areas of granules burning the lawn. Apply the granules when the lawn is dry and make sure it’s watered in thoroughly if no rain falls.
Moss Killer & Lawn Feed
To accelerate your lawn recovery alongside treating the moss, you can use a combined moss killer and lawn feed so, as the moss dies, the lawn has enough strength to outcompete the moss growth.
Combined Moss Killer & Lawn Feed products usually come in granular form and are ideal for Spring and Autumn applications to help boost the lawn before the growing season, or to give it strength to survive Winter.
You should make sure you’re tailoring the feed depending on the season: in Spring, use a feed that’s high in nitrogen to help green up the lawn and inspire dense growth.
However, in Winter, you’ll want less nitrogen to prevent weak, leggy growth as the lawn begins to move into dormancy.
Scarification
After you’ve waited 2-3 weeks for your moss to turn completely black and die, you can then scarify the lawn to remove it. Only scarify when your grass is growing vigorously enough to recover.
It’s important that you wait for the moss to fully die before attempting to remove as, if you scarify any part of the moss that is still green and alive, you can risk spreading the spores across the lawn. This will cause it to multiply and take hold of your lawn again, putting you back at square 1.
Depending on the size of your lawn and how intense the moss build up is, you have a couple of options for tools. A classic, manual rake is perfect for smaller areas. It lets you feel exactly how much pressure you're applying so you don't accidentally pull up healthy grass, however if you’re tackling a larger lawn, then a mechanical scarifier may be more suitable,
When using a rake or machine, you should rake in one direction across the lawn then go again in the other direction at a 45 degree angle, this will help thoroughly remove all of the moss from between the grass blades.
Once you’ve raked and removed the moss, the lawn will likely look a little bare and may have patchy areas of damage. You should water the lawn deeply once the moss is removed, so that the moisture can soak through to the ground below and encourage the grass to re-grow and recover.
Feeding and Seeding
Once you’ve removed the moss, you may need to repair areas of the lawn to help infill any patches.
During Spring & Autumn, you can overseed bare areas to encourage fresh regrowth, encouraging the lawn to re-claim the areas where moss had taken over - our Rye Gold Lawn Seed is an ideal choice for a resilient lawn.
To keep your lawn healthy year-round, apply a seasonal lawn fertiliser to give the ground a tailored nutrient boost.
Nitrogen-rich feeds are ideal in Spring and Summer to promote thick, vibrant green growth, while Autumn and Winter feeds high in potassium and iron help strengthen roots to withstand colder weather.
Preventing Moss in Your Lawn
The methods above will help repair and resolve your moss problem, but it’s likely to come back if the root cause of the issue isn’t addressed. To help reduce moss growth in the future, you should assess your lawn for the following and try to minimise the chance of your lawn becoming unhealthy:
Waterlogging
Waterlogging can happen all year round, but you tend to see it over Winter as the increased rainfall and constant freeze-thaw cycles can cause your soil to become compacted. If you notice areas of water pooling on your lawn, this is a key sign that it’s not draining correctly.
A waterlogged lawn will essentially ‘drown’ the grass roots – the lack of airflow and compaction means they won’t be able to absorb the nutrients and oxygen they need to survive.
Aerating the lawn can help improve drainage and airflow and is best done in Spring or Autumn when the soil is warm and malleable - don’t try to aerate frozen ground!
You can use a garden fork to poke holes deep into the ground if you’re experiencing minor drainage issues, or, if you have significant drainage issues and clay soil, you may need a hollow tine aerator that removes plugs of soil deep from the ground to drastically improve airflow and drainage for long term healthier lawn growth.
Soil quality
Your soil needs the right nutrients in order to thrive and be healthy, if the pH balance is off it can weaken the lawn, letting moss take over.
If you’re laying a new lawn, you can try to improve your soil by turning it over and mixing in some compost to give it a nutrient boost, or, for existing lawns, you can feed the lawn with a seasonal fertiliser to keep it strong so it can out-compete moss.
Mosses can grow in most soils. but acidic soil is their favourite. You can test the pH of your soil to se where it falls - a good neutral range is between 6-7, anything below that would be quite acidic.
You can add alkaline garden lime in Spring / Autumn to help neutralise the soil and discourage moss from growing. Use a spreader for even coverage, as concentrated areas of lime can lead to patchy grass growth. Make sure to wear gloves and a mask to prevent irritation and water it into the lawn thoroughly afterwards.
Shady areas
Moss thrives in shaded, damp areas, unlike grass which needs a good amount of sunlight to thrive. So, if you’ve got a shaded area where your grass is struggling to thrive, this is ideal for moss to take over.
You may want to cut back any overhanging trees or shrubs that are casting shadows onto the lawn to allow more sunlight through.
If a specific area is constantly shaded by fences or walls, you may want to overseed with a seed high in fescues which tend to fare better in shady conditions.
By keeping your lawn well maintained making it strong and healthy, moss will struggle to compete allowing the grasses to dominate.
Ready for a fresh, moss-free start? Check out our range of freshly cut turf, available for next day delivery.
