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Moss in lawns

gregjwilliams91gregjwilliams91 Posts: 8
in Problem solving
so today I helped give my dads grass the first cut and I noticed the front lawn was more moss then grass, I’m pretty sure your supposed to get rid of the moss - is this true? if so why is moss bad for lawns? 

Also is the best way of removing the moss the special takes you get?
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  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    Basically, moss takes over and "chokes" the grass. If you haven't got a large area to deal with, a rake is fine (and good exercise!). You can buy moss killer from the garden centre, but be sure to read the instructions very carefully, and then read them again !   
    Bit more info here
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid
  • gregjwilliams91gregjwilliams91 Posts: 8
    edited March 2019
    I’d say the moss on the front garden takes up about 80% of the lawn, and it is a very large front lawn so probably too much to rake, I suppose the downside to getting rid of the moss would be the bare patch left in its place until the grass grows back
  • BobFlannigonBobFlannigon Posts: 619
    That's not true, greg, really.  You'd only remove it because it's not grass and you want grass.  It's not that simple, however, moss usually thrives exactly where grass struggles, where it's shady, damp and poorly ventilated.  The questions you might prefer to ask yourself are whether you're happy with a moss garden?  Do you like how it looks?  Can you actually grow grass here (if you pull out all the moss will it just come back next year)?  Perhaps check if anyone else on the street manages a grass front.
    Moss is ultra low-maintenance and has some environmental benefits over grass too.  Moss gardens are a thing in Japan!

  • agronomist0560agronomist0560 Posts: 3
    edited March 2019
    Moss is a sign that the environment is not correct for your lawn e.g. Ph inbalance. Dead moss turns to thatch...having some thatch on grass is not a bad thing as it is a good protector and can provide good insulation against temperature extremes and differences in soil moisture.

    Moss competes with the grass blocking light and restricting airflow which in turn prevents the growth of grass. And of course as mentioned above dead moss turns to thatch.

    There are fertilisers out there that feed the grass but target and control moss too
  • barry islandbarry island Posts: 1,847
    In the Monty in Japan programme there were ladies laboriously picking grass out of the moss, nasty weed grass.
  • madpenguinmadpenguin Posts: 2,543
    I embrace the moss in my lawn!!  :)
    “Every day is ordinary, until it isn't.” - Bernard Cornwell-Death of Kings
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    gregjwilliams91 said:
    I’m pretty sure your supposed to get rid of the moss - is this true? if so why is moss bad for lawns? 

    Also is the best way of removing the moss the special takes you get?
    It's a fashion, not a fact.

    You can get treatments that you water on which kill moss and weeds and feed the grass. These are OK if you have a good lawn with a few dodgy patches, but if the lawn is mostly moss, the result will be a horrible black mess. Then you'll have a lot of raking and aerating and other work to do to improve the soil sufficiently for grass to grow instead of moss. Then you'll have to seed the bald patches. And for all that time his lawn will look a great deal worse than it does now. You'll also have dosed his soil with a load of fairly aggressive chemicals.

    I take the view that a perfect lawn is - from a wildlife point of view - little different to green concrete. My 'lawn' is mossy in some places, mostly clover in others, with daisies and dandelions and all sorts of other stuff you're 'supposed to remove'. I don't.
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • JoeXJoeX Posts: 1,783
    gregjwilliams91 said:
    I’d say the moss on the front garden takes up about 80% of the lawn, and it is a very large front lawn so probably too much to rake, I suppose the downside to getting rid of the moss would be the bare patch left in its place until the grass grows back
    So I've tried to remove the moss from my lawn by hand - takes freaking hours by the way -, with my electric scarifier and by twice yearly application of lawn feed/moss killer combination for a year or two.

    Can't say that it's working, but I do have a lot of moss/thatch to compost!  You won't believe how much can come out and yet there's still tonnes in there.
  • Chrissy70Chrissy70 Posts: 9
    This site is so great Monday I put moss killer on my lawn then though omg is it to early I now know its fine I intend using an electric scarifier week begginin 8th April that way the moss should be black and ready to be removed does look unsightly afterwards but I am thinking summer will be nice green lawn 

    6mths ago I never for a 2nd thought gardening would be so thoroughly therapeutic and enjoyable
  • Mike AllenMike Allen Posts: 208
    Mosses belong to what are termed the lower plant levels.  Perhaps, with respect a read of 'Mosses on wikipedia' may help.

    In general.  Moss is an indicator that the soil is yuck, really basic and needs attention.
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