How To Get Rid Of Moss On Lawn

Making Your Lawn Healthier

Getting Rid Of Moss In An Organic Way

You can get rid of moss in a natural way using dish soap. This is also the simplest and safest way. Just follow the below steps:

• Make dishwasher detergent in a pinch. To use on small patches, mix 2 ounces of dish soap and 1 gallon of water in a garden hand sprayer. Use gentle liquid dish soap only.
• Holding the spray nozzle some inches away from the target area, spray the mixture and drench the patches of moss with the solution. Be careful not to spray the mixture on the grass as it can kill healthy grass.
• The patches of moss will change to orange or brown in 24 hours and gradually dry up. Dig up and remove as much dead moss as possible as the solution does not surely kill the moss at the roots.
• After gathering the dead moss, take it to an isolated area. Dont compost it as the spores may spread back into your lawn. You have to wait to re-seed the patches as the liquid soap can hinder germination.

Best Products For Killing Moss On Lawns

I highly recommend Mo Bacter. It is an organic, slow release lawn fertiliser with added magnesium. It contains friendly bacteria that eat moss and turn it into fertiliser. It is quite sensitive to temperature so it must be at least 12 degrees for it to work. Ideally, it should be spread in damp conditions. I would recommend topping your grass about two days before spreading to expose the weeds and again two days after applying the treatment.

Mo-Bacter improves the soil overall and there is no black mess or raking out needed afterwards. The fertilizer contains beneficial decomposing bacteria which consume the organic waste and convert it into useful lawn feed.

One bag does about 100 metres squared, the size of a typical town garden. However do measure your lawn beforehand and spread it at the correct rate. You can spread it by hand, but I have a little push along spreader that does the job in half the time and achieves an even spread.

Mo Bacter takes about two weeks to work and is far better than traditional chemical treatments that will turn your lawn black. It also feeds the grass and doesnt harm animals or wildlife. All the same, I would recommend keeping pets out of the treated area for at least 24 hours, to allow the product to work its magic.

If you plan to spread lime on your lawn, allow at least two weeks from when you treated it for moss and weeds.

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Try A Natural Moss Killing Solution

If the idea of introducing herbicides to your lawn does not seem attractive, there could be a relatively safer alternative. We suggest you mix the following ingredients in a spray bottle to create a natural moss killing agent to use now and in the future, if the moss reappears:

• 1 tsp of baking soda or 1 tsp of mild dishwashing detergent
• 1 l of lukewarm water

These are the ingredients to tackle relatively small moss-covered areas. You can double or even triple the amounts if the invasive plant has spread throughout your entire lawn.

Its best to apply the solution in dry and sunny weather. Otherwise, the rain may wash away the solution before it has time to kill the moss. Aim to spray only the invasive plant.

The minimum time this homemade moss killer requires is 24 hours, but the most telling sign of success is the change in colour of the plant from green to yellow or brown. When you are sure the moss is dead, pull it out from the root, place it in a bag and throw it out a solid distance away from your lawn.

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Why Moss Grows In Lawns

This hardy little plant is an opportunistic plant in such a way that it doesnt compete with grass for space or even kill other plants to invade the property rather, it will simply just exist in any spot where nothing is growing.

If your lawn is full of something other than grass, there is something wrong within it more than meets the eye. Therefore, the key to killing it and ensuring it wont come back for good is to deal with the deeper issues with your lawn.

Since moss is desperate enough to claim any space that doesnt have anything growing in it, you must find out the reason what kills your grass or why it is not growing healthily as it should be.

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How To Fix A Small Moss Problem In The Spring

If your lawn comes out of a wet winter with a little bit of moss, dont worry, it happens to the best of us! Fixing it in the spring is easy

Step 1: Apply a Moss Killer Apply your preferred moss killer at the recommended rate. We recommend a product called Moss Off. Its chemical free and perfectly safe for children, pets and wildlife, pond life. Depending on the product you use, some moss killers should be applied to a wet lawn, others should be applied to a dry lawn so read the instructions carefully. If you use a regular moss killer containing iron sulphate, leave it for 7-10 and youll see the moss turn black as it dies. Moss Off takes around 2-3 weeks.

Step 2: Scarify Your Lawn to Remove the Dead Moss Once the moss has dead, you can rake it out with a springbok rake if you dont have any other equipment. Be warned though, this is very hard on your hands and back! Preferably youd use a powered lawn rake or scarifier. Or even better, most of the lawn mowers in our homeowner range can be fitted with our quick cartridge scarifier. This removes the need to buy different machines. Once youve scarified, you need to help the lawn recover by following the next steps.

Step 5: Apply a Spring/Summer Fertiliser Finally, give your lawn a helping hand by applying a spring/summer lawn feed. This will give the existing grass the nutrients it needs to grow strong and healthy during the spring, heading into the summer. It can also speed up germination of new grass seed.

How To Kill Moss On Your Lawn

Moss in a lawn competes with grass, looks unsightly and can cause heart ache for your lawn mower as it struggles to cut through the thick growth at the start of the season. Some people like daisies, moss and other wild flowers spread throughout their lawn. However if your are puritanical like me about your lawn and believe only green grass should grow in it, you will likely want to eradicate moss. Fortunately it is easy to treat and measures can be taken to prevent it growing in the first place.

Moss looks nice on trees, but do you want it growing in your lawn?

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Can I Rake Moss Without Killing It First

You can choose to rake away moss from your lawn without using a treatment to kill it first. However, its generally better to kill it first.

The benefits of killing the moss first are:

What You Need For This Project

Tools

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When Is The Best Time To Kill The Lawn Moss

Late autumn and spring are the two most suitable times to tackle the moss growing in your lawn.

Autumn is a good time to get rid of the plant for two reasons. The following winter brings colder weather with reduced sunlight and rain, which are favourable conditions for the moss to develop and thrive. On the other hand, winter is when your lawn becomes dormant and vulnerable, so its best to take care of the moss intruder before the arrival of colder weather.

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Spring is the other time of the year when you can kill the moss. Mainly because this will guarantee a strong weed-free start for your turf, which needs extra care to recuperate from its winter sleep. Also, just like autumn, spring is the other busy season for lawn owners when essential maintenance tasks like scarification, fertilising, aeration and more can be done.

Give a professional lawn care a try!

We can take care of the mowing, weeding and other lawn maintenance tasks!

How To Reinvigorate Your Lawn

Moss in lawns doesnt need to be a problem. With a little care and attention, you can turn a mossy lawn into beautiful green turf to be proud of.

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Get A Moss Killing Herbicide

Another fairly safe way to eradicate the moss without harming the grass is to bet on a specialised killing agent. The most commonly used option is an iron-rich product that can control the spread of different moss varieties as long as its applied correctly. You can check for one in the local gardening store and use it according to the instructions.

If the plant starts turning yellow or brown, this means that the moss killer you chose is working, and the plant is dying. Usually, such products are not harmful for the grass. In fact, they can enrich the soil with iron, which can be beneficial for your lawn.

Still, keep a watchful eye on the grass surrounding the treated area for signs of discolouration, in which case you should stop applying the product.

Limit the treatment with the moss killer to the lawn only. While the iron sulphate wont damage your lawn, it may cause a reaction with concrete and other material used on driveways, pathways and others, leaving rust spots.

How To Get Rid Of Moss On Your Lawn

Moss loves to grow in moist and shaded areas. It can spread quickly to take over your lawn. We know moss produces spores during April and September. So to tackle the problem before it spreads follow these steps below in early spring or late summer for a moss free lawn.

1. Spread a chemical moss killer

A Feed, Weed & Mosskiller is an effective way of removing moss. This is a granular fertiliser that works over 2 weeks to kill off weeds and moss and feed your lawn. Feed, Weed & Mosskiller will fertilise your grass giving it a great boost. It will also kill most common weeds such as dandelions and plantains over the same approximate 2-3 weeks.

2. Remove existing moss

After the moss has gone black and died it is time to remove it by scarifying the lawn. Depending on the size of your garden you may wish to scarify with a spring tine rake for smaller lawns or an automated scarifier for larger lawns. An automated scarifier can be bought or hired. It will remove more material at a quicker pace than by hand. When raking by hand aim to rake in the one direction, then at slightly different angles to extract the remaining moss. After scarifying you may notice patches in your lawn, this is just where the moss was. These patches just need a little overseeding.

3. Overseeding your lawn

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How To Get Rid Of Moss In Your Lawn For Good

To learn how to eliminate moss in your lawn, you need to know what causes moss in a lawn. The answer is relatively straightforward.

Grass thrives in soil thatâs light, fertile, and warm, but moss grows in conditions that other plants canât handle. Itâs everywhere: moss spores float in the air, germinate and mature with moisture, one thing thatâs not lacking in the Irish atmosphere. Your task is to figure out whatâs behind these conditions.

Some common causes of moss include:

• Excessive shade
• High or low soil pH

How Do I Get Rid Of Moss

Sadly, killing and removing the invading moss isnt enough to end the problem. Get rid of moss for the long-term by taking steps to improve the vigour of your grass. However to first shift the moss there are two approaches you can take:

• Non-chemical One non-chemical method you can use to get rid of moss is scarification using a spring-tine rake. Do this after rainfall when the ground is soft to reduce the risk of damaging your grass. Alternatively, try using MO Bacter Organic Lawn Fertiliser, a non-chemical product that breaks down moss.

• Chemical Its best to use proprietary ferrous sulphate treatments that kill and blacken moss in spring or early autumn. Once the moss is blackened, you can simply rake it away. If the health of your grass is particularly poor then use a moss-killer combined with a fertiliser. That will destroy the moss and improve the vigour of your lawn, meaning the moss is less likely to return. When using chemical treatments always pay attention to the directions on the packet. Some may require watering on while others can be damaging if applied in too high a dose. If you have an artificial lawn then there are specialised chemical products such as Brintons Patio Magic designed to get rid of moss on artificial lawns, patios and play areas.

Once youve managed to get rid of moss you can add it to your compost heap. Mix it well with other ingredients as moss can be slow to rot in bulk.

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