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Control moss on lawns
If you have a lot of moss in your lawn, it is often a sign that there is an underlying problem.
The soil may be very slow to drain, very acidic or the lawn may be shaded by trees for part of the year – all of these encourage moss to grow.
The two best times to reduce the moss in lawns is late winter to early spring
and autumn.
Raking the lawn will help to thin out moss, but unless you are able to remove it all, it will quickly grow back.
For best results, kill the moss first with lawn sand which contains sulphate of iron. Applied at the correct rate, it won’t harm the grass but will kill the moss.
Sulphate of iron is used at this time of the year to condition lawns and make them green-up after the winter.
How to reduce moss
It will be more difficult for moss to establish if you keep your lawn in good condition with a thick covering of grass.
•Follow these tips to reduce moss:
•Spike damp areas of the lawn to increase surface drainage.
•Prune overhanging branches to allow more light to the lawn.
•Feed your lawn in spring and autumn with a lawn fertiliser to encourage a thick covering of grass.
•Don’t mow your lawn too short.
•Sow thin patches with good quality grass seed.
For more jobs to help keep your garden in tip top form, get Garden News every week, and Garden Answers every month.
Control moss on lawns
Spike the lawn
Step 1 Use your hand or a fertiliser spreader to apply a thin layer of lawn sand across the grass where moss is a problem.
Step 2 It usually takes around two weeks for the moss to die. Then use a hand rake or electric lawn rake to remove the moss.
