Moss growing on your lawn can be an unwelcome neighbour and is often an indicator of other issues with your lawn. There are two ways to rid your lawn of moss, you can take the “raking and killing” approach or the more natural way. But first you have to understand, diagnose and solve the problem that’s causing the moss on your lawn in the first place.
Why is there moss growing on my lawn?
There could be a few reasons for this below we list a few potential issues:
- The area is too shady – moss grows better in shade than some grasses do, so plant a more shade-friendly grass if you have a shady lawn
- Acidic soil – if the pH level is below what your grass type likes, then again, moss will thrive there instead of grass
- Poor drainage – moss prefers moist soil more so than grass does, so if you have poor drainage in your lawn it could be another reason why you’re seeing a surge of moss
- Lawn soil is too compact – grass needs air to grow, if your soil is too compact then moss will be have a better chance of growing than most grass types.
Steps to killing moss by “killing and raking”
Gardening Know How recommends the following approach.
1) Start by applying a moss killer to the moss on your lawn. These products usually contain ferrous sulfate or ferrous ammonium sulfate.
2) Once the moss is dead, rake it off of the area that you wish to remove it from.
3) Seed the lawn with your chosen grass seed.
4) Keep the seeds moist until the grass has been regrown.
Steps to killing moss the natural way:
1) Sprinkle baking soda on the moss several times, a couple weeks before raking it away. This will kill it and make it much easier to get rid of.
2) Try digging up and taking away as much moss as possible on the surface of your lawn. Use a knife or sharp blade to dig deeper into the soil if needed.
3) To slow growth for the future, take 1 ounce of lemon dish soap diluted in a quarter of water. Spray this on the moss several times in order to slow down its growth.
Knowing how to kill moss wont be helpful if you don’t maintain a healthy lawn. Ridding moss will only be successful if you take the necessary steps to ensure a healthy lawn, or else you will find yourself constantly having to kill moss.
If you need our team of experts to help better diagnose your lawn and what it needs, or if you’d like us to maintain a healthy lawn for your property please contact us today.
