Moss can be seen as decorative to some people but if you like well-manicured lawns then you’re more likely to see moss as a nuisance especially if it’s thick like matt moss, the moss will not kill the grass but can look very unsightly and leave your lawn very uneven underfoot.
There are some simple ways on how to get rid of moss from the lawn and we will cover them in this article but the first thing to note if you have moss in your lawn is that you have less than ideal conditions for growing grass but we will cover this below.
Why do I have moss growing in my lawn?
Some of the basic simple things that can cause moss in your lawn are:
- Low Soil PH
- Lack of nutrients in the soil
- Poor soil drainage
- Too much shade
So these are the most common problems that can cause moss in your lawn and now we need to know how to tackle the problems to give the moss an environment that is less than ideal to grow.
We will do our best to cover each of the problems and the best solutions to tackle each and recommend products to eradicate your moss problems.
Soil PH causing moss?
Your state will have a cooperative extension it would be worth contacting them to send away a sample of your soil for them to test the PH let them know that you are having problems with moss and they will be able to give you all the information about your soil.
If you don’t want to go the above route then you can get yourself a PH tester from Amazon relatively cheaply and you will be able to test your soil yourself it won’t be as scientific but will give you a good indication of your soils PH so you can best tackle the problem.
If your soil PH is overly acidic this will be a perfect breeding ground for moss growth, you will need to get the soil PH down and how to do this is by applying garden lime we have a full article on our site here.
Once you have applied the lime and your soil is showing a lower PH but the soil is of poor quality then it is recommended that you give your lawn a regular lawn fertilizer to get your soil into tip-top condition again we have an article to cover this here also.
Is bad drainage causing moss?
If you have a bad draining lawn then this can be a problem people who have high clay content in their soil will have very slow-draining soil, if clay is your problem then adding compost to give you a better soil compound will be best practice this can be a big job for some but will give you a much better soil.
It’s also worth checking if you have any rainwater running onto your lawn if this can be easily diverted from going onto your lawn then its recommend that you do this as this can cause waterlogged grass.
Poor draining soil can be caused by heavy foot traffic this will compact the soil not allowing the water to drain freely, a solution for compact soil is to lawn aeration we have a full article on all thing aeration on the blog here.
Is moss caused by excessive shade?
Getting rid of moss in your lawn can be as simple as giving your lawn more light, moss thrives in shady areas.
If you have large shrubs or trees that are taking light from your yard then cutting them down or pruning them back to give your yard more light then this alone can kill the moss on your lawn.
If you have bare patches in your lawn where there is shade moss with do its best to fill the gaps, the patches are normally caused by the grass not liking shade so a simple solution here is to reseed the patches with a grass seed that likes shade, this will then fill the gaps and give the moss a much harder environment to grow in.
Ways to Kill Moss on Your Lawn
Its recommend that you follow the above method to get rid of any underlying problems but once you have done this it’s time to deal with the moss.
We recommend Scotts MossEx but before we apply this first its recommend that you cut your grass to get rid of the long grass.
Once the grass has been cut lightly water your lawn and then apply the Scotts MossEx that can be purchased on Amazon we do recommend following the instruction on the packaging for the amount to apply for the size you are talking.
We found that re-watering the lawn 24hours later to get more of the Scotts MossEx working again give the best results.
The moss will start to turn brown and this is when you need to rake the dead moss to get rid of it from your lawn, don’t rake as soon as you see the moss let it all go brown a good estimate is around 2 weeks.
Best time to apply Scotts MossEx there is no recommendation but we have found that the best time to apply this product in late spring and early summer, it’s also worth noting that if you are thinking of giving your lawn a reseed then you should carry this out once you have got rid of the moss.
How to get rid of moss on lawn in winter
Getting rid of moss on a lawn in winter is not recommended this is when your grass is at its weakest and our recommendation is to hang tight for better months to tackle your moss problem.
Never apply any lawn fertilizer in the winter months this encourages growth and this will be weak and susceptible to disease but if you want to take the moss problem in winter then applying an application of iron will help the moss from spreading.
How to get rid of moss on lawn naturally
If you want to know how to get rid of moss on lawn naturally there is a simple solution that I am sure you will have the products in your kitchen.
Some people just don’t like to use any type of products that are not natural and this is fine the results may not be as good as Scotts MossEx but you can get rid of your moss
The simple solution is to add 2 ounces of dish soap plus 1 gallon of water into a spray bottle.
Apply the dish soap mixture to the moss keeping the nozzle head close to the moss.
After a few days, the moss will start to turn brown and this is when its recommend raking the moss.
You may have to repeat the above method a few times till you fully clear up all the moss.
If you have a lot of moss this method can be a little pain as it will be hard to cover a large area with a small spray bottle so you may want to find a larger sprayer.
The best tip to make this method most effective is to wet the moss this will help penetrate the moss better.
Don’t compost the raked up moss as spores in the moss can still produce moss and it can affect your compost heap and find its way back into your lawn.
We hope that our article helps you tackle your moss problem and helps you completely eradicate the moss for good, we are here to help if you need any help drop us an email and we will do our best to help you out.