Matted Saxifrage management

Matty_P · October 2023

Hi there,

I'm quite new to gardening and have found quite a few patches of what I think is Matted Saxifrage (see attached) growing in borders often around the stems of other plants and also on the vertical face of the grass verge/border. I have been pulling it out and considering it a weed, I don't know if I should bother? Is it a problem plant or weed? Another issue as with other weeds, moss and grass seeding in borders is that you end up pulling out quite a bit of soil that is aggregated with the weeds. This is then not replenished which isn't an issue yet but I don't like the idea of taking out soil long term.

Any advice on whether I should manage this plant or just let it do its thing?

Thanks for the help,

Pete.8 · October 2023

I'm not sure it is saxifrage.
The focus isn't quite sharp but it could be a type of sphagnum moss rather than saxifrage.

Matty_P · October 2023

Could be, I used an app to identify.. here's a other pic

Pete.8 · October 2023

I put your photo into Google Lens and these came up - all types of moss

https://lens.google.com/search?ep=cnts&re=df&s=4&p=AbrfA8qELoa_AoQAbo6vuxdQePhxTIMlR4HxNkGmjXE3BC85vPf9UEopHbMOXrsWZv0lJfrWBFQ0M0578Jd7FHaeUhfKMMlg5zOOQtO-dUEiNTNT-ZAdoVFWXR8W992xkOJ7eYJhONckqFYRn84cKOQtPW2dfqKqsvYlA6jw4gsifYisbumTzbt0wN7HDROzeo8H81FJEjOaJRhkoDBoGZ2n4sFsZV9pRwRsnjyzIVBH1j25eaIdJ_8Ceqhg7jCgV5cuhWSNtUE8QMozi-4WUp2xw3U6827P7GqX6wadId81ZDUCg3pbPs_wvh2wjDTyPy0mvyQ7ww%3D%3D#lns=W251bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsbnVsbCxudWxsLG51bGwsIkVrY0tKRFV4TURabE5EUXdMV0kxWkRjdE5HWXlNQzA1WkdFNExUQTROelk1T1dZMk16SXdZaElmUVhoWFNEZHBjMlJ1WkVsV2IwUk1aa3hPVEZCZlpWQTJZMUZtTlhKb1p3PT0iLG51bGwsbnVsbCxbW251bGwsbnVsbCwiMy0wIl0sWyJkYzM1YTZhNi1hMjcwLTQxODMtOTg2YS1kNGQ3NWI2ZDFiMTYiXV0sMSxudWxsLFtudWxsLG51bGwsWzgzODgsODQ2LDkzODgyLDkxNTEzXV1d

I think it is a moss, but apart from vast amounts of it in my lawn it's not something I know much about.

Matty_P · October 2023

Ok thanks for that. So much for the RHS Grow app..
Big issue in my lawn too, so not surprising perhaps that the borders have it albeit a different variety I assume. From what I've read it's not really a problem and more likely in compacted soil.

Pete.8 · October 2023

It probably liked the wet summer we had.
If we get a dry summer next year it'll go of its own accord.
I never had a problem with it in my lawn until this year.

JennyJ · October 2023

If you're removing a lot of soil with the roots of weeds, try shaking off as much as you can. For me it mostly just falls away, but I have sandy soil. I'm guessing yours is heavier because you can keep a vertical edge on your lawn - if I tried that it would just dry out and crumble away. You can put annual weeds in the compost bin with the attached soil, so it will eventually be returned to the garden. I chuck moss in the compost bin as well, but I don't have a serious issue with it, just a small amount on shaded bits of lawn, paving etc when there's been wet weather.

Matty_P · October 2023

Thanks for the comment, I think it's more the moss where this is an issue as it's impossible to separate from the soil it's attached to but maybe it's not really a large quantity. I could try to kill it off instead and maybe it will fall away. My partner isn't keen on having a compost bin for whatever reason so it goes in our garden waste bin.

Matted Saxifrage management

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