Moss control in lawns

The new gardening season has begun, and lawns now require cutting if you have not already done so.

The wettest winter recorded
 

You will almost certainly notice your lawn is not in great shape following the wettest winter recorded and many (most) have an unprecedented amount of moss. Whilst some moss will naturally disappear as the infrastructure dries, your grasses will be in need of fertilisation of some kind to help strengthening them.

Control

There are of course many types of fertiliser that can be used depending upon how organic you wish to be within your own garden.

Garden centres tend to sell a lawn feed and weed killer product combined. One part of this product requires water and the other requires dry weather for at least three days. Neither, offers a good remedy for reducing the moss in your lawn.

A moss killer can be used, but it turns your moss black and most importantly rarely kills the moss spoors totally.

The ‘industry standard’ is to feed your lawn regularly. This method strengthens your grasses and, over time, will greatly reduce the amount of moss within your lawn. Some feeds also have a small amount of iron within the feed which also helps to make moss weaker. The grasses then find it even easier to take over the moss patches with new strong grasses expending into those patches.

Should you have fences or high hedges along the side (s) of your garden you may have to accept that moss will always grow over the winter period and may never rid yourself of all the moss even during the summer. It is probably even more important to assist your lawn grasses to prevent the spread of moss over the entire lawn over a period.

Regular mowing of your lawn with a roller mower will also help in minimising moss ‘expansion’, particularly if feeding your lawn on a regular basis.

More information

> Royal Horticultural Society