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moss in grass , how do I remove it.
kamy
Posts: 2
Hello Folks.
The grass in our back (1000 sq.m) garden is very wet. If it rains today, it's still squishy wet tomorrow. There seems to be more moss than grass. I've had 4 of these garden servicing people with conflicting view so I would love some impartial advice.
1. Feed the lawn with moss killer chemical and then scarify.
2. Don't use any moss killer chemical, just scarify, slit the lawn and then re-seed the lawn.
Your advice is welcome.Any thoughts.
(P.S. yes we have also looked into the issue of wet lawn. Lots of clay in soil, most have suggested hollow tinning, one chap suggested the hollow tinning will not have any effect as clay is too thick and for us to put in land drain)
0
Posts
What's wrong with moss? Personally I think moss in a lawn is highly desirable (much nicer texture and provides a nice green carpet in conditions such as yours where grass doesn't do well). In any case your problem here is clearly the waterlogging, which is nothing to do with the moss.
You need proper drainage. Lawns should not be 'squishy.' They should be fit to walk on at all times.
Sorry.
Is it a new house? If so you need to cut out a square of lawn and see what is underneath.
Hi,
Yes it's a new house. All three lawn care specialist took sample of the ground and yes definitely clay. We wlll be extending the house in a coupke of years and aim to put land drains in then (lower cost).
In the meantime any advice on the moss... Chemicals and scarify or just scarify?
Technically the moss is a symptom as others have stated - the problem being the poor drainage - so be prepared to keep fighting this battle until this is solved.
The normal school of thought is to kill the moss with iron sulphate (5g per square metre in 1 litre of water per square metre) and then scarify a couple of weeks later when it is dead. You do it in this order to prevent spreading the moss around your garden.
However, I've seen it suggested that when there's so much moss, you're better off scarifying the bulk then killing the residue with iron sulphate. The reason for doing it in that order is because there may be so much moss that the iron sulphate doesn't reach it all to kill it.
In your situation, I'm inclined to favour the latter.
Whatever you do, buy an electric scarifier (or petrol if your budget stretches) - don't attempt to do it with a rake. Best to scarify when the grass is dry and growing well.
Also, be prepared to reseed/overseed the majority of the lawn if it's as bad as it sounds. And treat with fertiliser.
In future, it's normally recommended that you do this maintenance in the autumn, I think mainly because it allows new grass seed plenty of time to lay down roots before the Summer (although I'm doing this now too).
Last edited: 13 March 2017 22:43:27
You have the same problem I had. You will find if you investigate under your lawn you have about 6 inches of soil that they put on top of all the rubble, clay and waste stone they couldnt be arsed to take to the tip. you will suffer moss all the time as the soil is constantly wet through as it cant run away due to all the clay and building rubble. They only fix is for you to dig out your lawn and put in a proper herringbone drainage system deep down and then add decent soil on top. Not cheap and wont last forever. Or you can do what onorpodum suggested and just put up with the squishy lawn full of moss.
( the moss WILL eventually take over the lawn completely choking off the grass tho unless you scarify constantly)
or you can give up the ghost and do what I did and lose the lawn and make it into a garden and get back to enjoying your garden again. Hard work still, dont get me wrong, but well worth it
see my progress here:-
http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/garden-design/grass-free-garden-conversionwork-in-progress/992841.html#latest
Let us know what you decide to do!
Last edited: 14 March 2017 19:22:20