Moss doesn't kill grass, but it can creep in if your lawn has already begun to die. To get rid of it, you must use physical and, if possible, chemical methods of removal. Next, you will need to improve the quality of the lawn, in order to discourage further moss growth. Read on for more details.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Physically and Chemically Remove Moss
Step 1. Remove loose moss with scarification
Scarifying, also called aerating, is the process of vigorously raking or shaking the lawn to remove loose moss and other compacted organic matter.
- If you have a small lawn, you can do it by hand. Simply rake the garden thoroughly and very forcefully lift the moss to remove it. Use a leaf rake.
- If you have a larger lawn, you can put a aerator blade on the mower. Set the height adjustment so that the tines can touch the ground surface, but if you set it too low, you may also remove the grass. Hoe the entire lawn using this method and dispose of the moss you remove.
- Alternatively, if you have a larger lawn, you could hire a powerful lawn mower. These particular machines have a spindle with blades and are able to loosen the turf in order to make cleaning easier.
- To aerate your lawn it is especially important to use a chemical herbicide to kill or weaken the moss early.
Step 2. Try a glyphosate herbicide
Glyphosate-based herbicides are some of the best known on the market, but they tend to have mixed results when used to kill moss.
- This chemical is absorbed by the leaves and transferred to the soil.
- The exact conditions necessary to make glyphosate effective against moss are currently unknown, but for best results, apply the herbicide only if there are uncompetitive plants, otherwise the herbicide could damage them.
- As with any herbicide, carefully follow the instructions on the label.
Step 3. Use iron sulfate or another sulfate-based herbicide
Although these herbicides are less common, they tend to have a higher success rate when used to kill moss. Iron or ferrous sulfate are recommended more frequently, but ammonium sulfate and copper sulfate herbicides are also effective.
- Iron weakens moss, often kills it, and still makes it easier to shed and remove manually.
- Spray a mixture of 20 liters on an area of over 300 square meters. The mixture should consist of approximately 90 ml of iron sulphate per 20 l of water.
- If you use copper sulfate, use 60-150ml for every 16L of water, and spray the mixture over an area of 300m2.
- Always follow the instructions on the label carefully.
Step 4. Consider using a soap to kill the moss
A bleach-based soap kills moss on contact. The chemical bleaches the moss, turning it into a white-yellow color, and should be applied at a low density.
- These soaps pose no threat to driveways or other structures.
- For best results, do this treatment in a dry period when the moss is weaker.
- Follow the instructions on the label carefully when applying it.
Part 2 of 3: Reduce Favorable Conditions for Moss
Step 1. Perennials and shrubs love shade
Grass does not grow well in areas with a lot of shade, but unfortunately moss does. If you can't control the amount of shade your lawn receives, try planting flowers and other plants that thrive in shady areas instead to prevent moss from growing.
Shade-loving plants include: Astilbe, Brunnera, Heuchera, Hosta, Hellebore, Ferns, Hydrangeas, Pulmonaria, and Tiarella. There are also other shrubs and flowers that look good in shady areas. Just look for shade-loving plants next time you go to a garden store or nursery
Step 2. Let the sun shine
Moss grows well in the shade, unlike more normal varieties of grass. If you want to make your lawn healthy, consider clearing the garden of removable obstacles so that natural sunlight can reach the entire surface.
- Keep piles of wood, bricks, or other scrap indoors such as the garage or shed.
- When building a new shed, think about how the location of the structure can create shade on the lawn.
- Prune large trees and dense shrubs so that more light passes through them.
Step 3. Avoid overwatering your lawn
Moss lives in areas with a lot of humidity. If your lawn is depleting for other reasons and is already vulnerable, over-watering can only speed up the moss formation process.
- You should especially avoid watering your lawn at night in early autumn or spring, when moss growth is most persistent.
- If your lawn is naturally wet, try improving its drainage capacity by changing the slope, aerating it, scarifying it, or installing drainage lanes underground.
Step 4. Give your lawn enough water to thrive
Although too much moisture creates ideal conditions for moss to form, too little can weaken the grass and make the lawn even more vulnerable to moss.
When the lawns are too dehydrated, the grass turns brown and weakens. It may be too weak to respond to rain or humidity when it arrives. As a result, when it rains the moss grows rapidly while the grass continues to die
Part 3 of 3: Making the Lawn Healthier
Step 1. Avoid damaging the lawn
Although most people want to enjoy their lawn, if they treat it too violently, the grass will weaken. As the grass begins to die, you will notice that more moss forms.
- You can damage your lawn when you play sports in the garden, ride a bike in the garden, or have a dog digging in it.
- In addition, insect larvae can also cause damage. If you have a lot of garden mosquitoes (tipulidae) in your area, consider taking steps to exterminate or repel them.
- Other insects such as cockroaches, noctuids and ants can also cause problems. Check the regulations of the department of agriculture of the country where you reside to be informed about what pests are in your area and how they are managed.
Step 2. Air the lawn
Over time, the lawn can become too compacted and the air, water and fertilizers fail to reach the grass roots. As a result, grass can die and moss can grow in its place. Regular aeration can help control and prevent this result.
- Rent, borrow, or buy a scarifier to do the job. This machine pushes a line of perforated tines into the lawn, digging into small piles of soil less than 2.5cm wide.
- By removing these mounds of soil, you free up enough space in the grass to spread out the soil and decompress it.
- Try to do this at least once before the growing season starts and once before the growing season ends.
Step 3. Hoe your lawn regularly
Hoeing moves the lawn more deeply than simple ventilation. If you aerate regularly, you don't need to hoe often. But if you have a lot of problems with moss, it's a good idea to tackle the problem by hoeing too.
- For best results, hoe during the spring every two years.
- A aerator blade on the lawn mower digs deep into the lawn and tears up most of the plant material that grows in the top straw layer of the lawn, rather than the soil. Since this is where moss grows, moving the straw can help prevent moss from forming.
Step 4. Seed the uncovered areas
If some areas of your lawn are low in grass, planting grass seeds in them is a good way to prevent moss from covering them, plus it improves the overall quality of the lawn.
- When sowing your lawn, choose a shade-resistant variety of grass. Among these seeds are the ryegrass, the fescue, the hay and the agrostide. Alternatively, you can also look for a prepackaged mix labeled as "sun-shade" weed seeds.
- When adding new seeds, cover them with at least 0.625 cm of potting soil or sand and keep the area moist until the seedlings establish themselves.
Step 5. Treat the lawn with fertilizer
Moss can thrive even when the soil has poor fertility. Depleted soil means it is unable to provide the nutrients the grass needs to thrive. Using a fertilizer regularly is the ideal way to improve these conditions.
- You can also do a professional test on a lawn sample in the area where the moss grows. In general, though, a good indicator that the problem is low fertility is if moss appears in dry and sunny areas of the lawn.
- Use a fertilizer with a high concentration of nitrogen and a fair amount of potassium and iron.
- Fertilizer is most effective if you use it four times a year: in early spring, late spring, mid-summer, and early fall.
Step 6. Distribute some agricultural lime
Lime should be used to control the acidity of the soil. Moss often grows when the soil begins to turn acidic, limiting the nutrients supplied to the lawn, and providing room for moss to sneak in.
- Use a calcium-based lime for best results.
- Test the pH of your soil. The ideal conditions are a neutral pH, which is around 6.5-7. If the pH is below 6, the soil is acidic, and if it is above 7, it is alkaline.
- Only use lime for treating acidic soils, not alkaline soils.
- Apply lime to your lawn twice per growing season if the soil is acidic on the test.
