Moss is a common problem around our homes and gardens. It loves growing on a roof, is rather partial to sheltered walls, seemingly can't get enough of a tarmac driveway, loves patios and paths that give it nice places to slowly spread and make slippery in wet or cold weather.
On structural surfaces, such as a roof, moss can not only be visually unappealing, to many, but also can slowly cause damage; It can separate and even lift tiles as well as spread within the cracks - leading to broken tiles, spalled bricks and damaged cement work.
Many people are aware of these potential issues and take steps to remove growth and to inhibit fresh growth (with range of moss killers and surface cleaners) but, seemingly, few people take steps to stop the growth on their lawns all together. The majority of users only attempt to treat existing moss and complain when it returns.
Before you can stop the growth of moss in your lawn (the same rules apply for any grassed area) you will have to remove the growth that has already made itself comfortable. There are two options for this: either fast or slow.
- The fast route is to treat the moss with lawn moss killer then move forward with the preventative steps that we outline later
or
- you can take the slower route which is to combine the preventative steps with manually removing the moss.
Both will leave you with a moss free lawn so the choice is yours.
Let's start with the first option which is to treat the existing areas of moss growth with a moss killer that is designed to be used on lawns or grassed areas. You must use a product that is designed for use on soil and not a product that can be used on your roof or patio. Whilst they are both moss killing products they are designed for application in different areas and should be kept to these areas.
The products available are many and varied, either liquids or granules, some require the moss to be raked once it has died and others will breakdown the moss so that it goes back into the soil, feeding the lawn and therefore do not requiring raking.
There are also combined products that will kill moss as well as weeds and feed your lawn so which type is most suited for your lawn can depend upon a number of factors. We have a number of products that will do a range of tasks, all of which can be found within our mosskilling collection.
You may now have a product that will do exactly what you want to your lawn but unless you take steps to eliminate the causes of the moss growth then you will be doomed to be repeating the process on a regular basis.
The second of the two options is definitely slower but will leave you with a lawn that is growing grass not moss. This method combines raking out the moss and taking steps to reduce or even eliminate the causes.
So, what is causing the moss?
There are a number of reasons why your lawn is suffering most of which you will be able to confront but others may be out of your control:
- Shade
Moss doesn't like lots of sunshine. This is the reason why moss will generally be more prevalent on the north of east facing surfaces as these will see less of the stronger sunshine therefore they will be cooler and will retain moisture for longer than the south or west facing surfaces.
Moss needs moisture to grow and to spread and, in this country anyway, moss will prefer cooler temperatures both of which are provided by shade. Have a look at where the moss is growing and are there shaded areas that you may be able to reduce by cutting back overhanging branches or excessive foliage. Maybe even move garden furniture or items that are being stored in ways that are causing shadows to fall across the lawn. Doing this will not just increase light but also, potentially, increase airflow which can help areas to dry quicker therefore removing a source of food for the moss.
- Grass length
The shorter that you cut your grass, the more susceptible the lawn will be to moss.
Unless you are spending a lot of time tending to your lawn (which probably means also applying a lot of treatments and chemicals to your grass) then really short grass means that the soil will be unable to hold moisture which means that the grass is starved of water and nutrients and is therefore not particularly healthy. This can lead to poor grass coverage and bare spots are the perfect breeding ground for moss (especially if combined with other factors) and other unwanted plant growth (see our range of selective and non-selective weed killers).
To help your lawn, and reduce the chance of moss finding a home, the next time you cut your grass maybe lift the height of your lawnmower so that the grass can be just a little longer. Better still, leave areas of lawn uncut this will not just increase the health of the grass and stop any moss growth but also gives nature a little helping hand by giving insects somewhere to live. It also gives something different to look at and saves you time, cut an area once a year rather than once a week.
- Drainage
A lack of drainage helps moss on a couple of fronts:
Firstly it provides food in the form of water and secondly it can be a contributing factor in an unhealthy lawn.
If the lawn is heavily used then it can become compacted which means that water will struggle to soak into the soil. This is very common on paths, under garden furniture or toys or where games are played. If it is possible to move a path or furniture, for a while, or play games somewhere else then it can help to give the area a rest. You could also fork the areas which is nothing more than pushing a garden fork into the ground and gently rock it. Do this enough enough times to the areas and the holes that you have created will allow water to drain and loosen the soil. Basically, you are trying to aerate the soil. This may then help to encourage worms back into these areas who will do the job for free and without any effort, from you, required.
Another reason is that you may have soil that has a very high clay content, again forking or aerating will help but so will adding grit or sand to the soil. This can be done by digging into the soil or just by laying the grit or sand on top of the soil and allowing your aerating or nature to take it into the soil for you. We have a range of moss killing sand that can be applied to the surface and will both kill existing moss growth and help to improve soil drainage.
- Lawn health
this is probably the first thing that you should consider when you are looking at the moss in your lawn. Moss will not grow in an area that has good grass coverage as there will simply not be the room for it. It is for this reason that you should think of the general health of your lawn.
If there are patches where there is no grass, then sow some seed. If the lawn has some small areas of moss then rake them out and, again, sow some seed. If the lawn has fairly good grass coverage then consider using a general lawn feed/fertiliser. However, if you think about the grass length, drainage and shade then your lawn will naturally become healthier but a gentle encouragement can help move things along.
Moss is not a plant that would naturally grow in a grassed area. It generally appears because of something we are doing or have caused so, it is quite straightforward to remove it from our lawns and keep it away. It also shouldn't require regular applications of chemicals if you can make some small changes that will help the lawn or grassed area grow a little more naturally.
Hopefully this has thrown a little light on why there may be moss growing in your garden and how you can both remove it and stop it from returning. If you have questions that this hasn't answered then please just Contact Us and we are happy to offer any advice that we can.