Moss Control & Removal

The following conditions encourage lawn moss

• Warm moist weather conditions – An increasing problem all over the UK
• Compacted poorly drained soil – Heavy soils will become compacted and need to be hollow tine aerated to reduce the effects of the compaction in the soil and can be top dressed with a 70% sand loam mix to improve soil ventilation once every 2 – 3 years
• Lawns thick with thatch – this is dead organic matter sitting on or below the soil surface and has to be removed by scarification Cutting the grass too short or scalping significantly reduces the health of the grass, weakens it and allows moss to move in
• Not watering the grass in the dry summer months can weaken the grass and allow moss to move into your lawn
• Clay based soils have poor drainage thus perfect conditions for moss to thrive
• Shaded or poorly ventilated lawns where the grass and soil surface rarely dry out are perfect conditions for moss
• Poorly fertilised lawns with weak and sparse grass usually have lots of moss present

Facts

• Moss does not have roots it just spreads across the damp soil surface, absorbing soil nutrients that have dissolved into the moisture on the surface.  Moss is easy to kill, Lawn Therapy have and use very effective moss killer / control products
• Moss is spread by air borne spores in the spring and autumn and will thrive and spread colonising large areas of your lawn if left untreated
• The problem is dead moss, unlike a dead weed which is 70% water, does not just wither and gradually shrivel away. Dead moss just turns into thatch
• Dead moss needs to raked and removed from the lawn. Heavy moss may require scarifying or verti cutting to remove it from the lawn
• If you do not remove dead moss it turns into thatch which absorbs and keeps moisture on the surface away from the grass roots where it is needed
• The damp conditions created by thatch are ideal conditions for moss to develop
• Lawns do not look very attractive after scarifying or raking
• Lawns with thick moss will look very bare and may require over seeding and top dressing to help them recover
• Do not rake or scarify the moss unless you have applied a moss control. You will just be spreading the spores and making things worse
• It is important that you time the moss control and any scarifying to be followed by a sustained period of wet warm weather to help the lawn and grass to recover and any sown seed to germinate
• If you neglect your lawn for even a short time moss will quickly move in and colonise large areas of your lawn pushing out the grass
• Moss doesn’t have roots so obtains its nutrients from moisture sitting on the soil. This means that moss removal treatments need to target the conditions as well as the growth. Something that standard moss killers won’t do effectively so your moss will return time and again
• Moss is probably the worst problem facing most lawns. Moss spreads by means of airborne spores
• If grass suffers stress and is weakened and dies in cold or dry conditions. Moss and weeds will quickly colonise any spaces or areas of weak growth in your lawn

Moss Control and Removal

Lawn Therapy has a great track record controlling and killing moss in our customer’s lawns. The products we use are very efficient and safe but should be combined with scarifying, aeration, top dressing and over seeding in chronic cases.

Moss is the most common problem we have with lawns. The mild damp autumns and winters are ideal for moss growth. Moss becomes established if grass growth is weak and sparse so it is essential to ensure the grass has the appropriate lawn fertiliser to ensure vigorous healthy growth particularly in the spring and autumn. Moss will thrive and quickly develop where grass is weak. In contrast weeds are easy to control but moss is slightly more difficult and requires regular attention. Strong healthy grass receiving regular applications of lawn care resists moss better than under nourished lawns.

Treatment is simple and straightforward for Lawn Therapy. We successfully control moss in all lawns using our efficient moss control products. Please remember that the products we use are not easily available to the public or general gardeners. Moss control by Lawn Therapy is simple and effective with the moss showing signs of dying just hours after treatment.

The moss plant is fibrous and tough. Once it has been treated the dead moss plant does not decay easily and it may be necessary to remove the dead plant by scarifying your lawn followed by aeration and top dressing depending on the level of moss in your lawn. Dead moss left on your lawn will act like thatch and prevent new grass growing in those areas.

If you have compacted soil then the lawn needs to be aerated regularly. Thatch will also need to be removed by scarification. Simple raking of the lawn while removing the moss will not remove the thatch which is the main reason the moss is developing. Scarification should follow an application of moss control. If you rake your lawn while the moss is still alive and green you will be spreading the moss spores across your lawn. Once Lawn Therapy has applied moss control it should be left for two weeks until the moss has turned brown / black. We will then arrange to return to scarify and aerate your lawn.

Removing the conditions that encourage moss to develop will reduce the possibility of moss returning. However if you have a heavy soil and or shaded areas in your garden then you will always have to be vigilant. Lawn Therapy will recommend that you have sufficient moss control in your programme to ensure that we control the moss.

Be careful if you use products bought from garden centres etc. Incorrect application rates and/or adverse weather conditions can lead to scorching your lawn and creating bare patches of dead or damaged grass.

If your gardener volunteers to do the work check that they do not use the same products from the garden centre and produce similar results. Call Lawn Therapy and we will also use the correct feeds at the right time for the maximum effect in our lawn care Treatment Programme. All you have to do is water and mow the lawn.

If you would like to improve the appearance of you lawn by reducing moss and have greener, healthier looking grass then call us today for a free no obligation lawn survey.  Alternatively, you can complete our enquiry form and we’ll be in touch shortly. Lawn Therapy also offer additional lawn care services which your lawn may benefit from. 

These include scarification, aeration, overseeding, top dressing, Lawn Re-Turfing, grass disease control, Weed Control and Moss Control.