If you don't know the cause of moss in your lawn or how to get rid of it, it can sometimes be frustrating. However, this is a challenging matter that even the most experienced gardeners sometimes struggle with. This type of plant can appear and cause damage not only on lawns, but also among other garden plants. In addition, moss can settle on garden paths, ornamental plants and tree stumps, but also in areas that cannot be cultivated. Although it can also look like an original and natural garden decoration, its control is important to ensure healthy plant growth. Luckily, there are some effective steps you can take even in the spring to keep your lawns free of them.
Why does moss appear in the lawn?
Mosses are a large group of plants characterized by the lack of tissues to drain water. As a rule, they do not have roots, but rather rhizoids. If you want to remove moss in the lawn mechanically, you must first identify the causes of its appearance and eliminate them. However, these could be complex and not always easy to identify. Moss can also quickly establish itself in grass plants and compete with them, thereby increasing theTexture of the lawn changed. Its occurrence mostly depends on the following influencing factors:
- Poor or no drainage of the garden soil. In such cases, rain and snow water does not seep into the ground and turns it into a swamp.
- Shading from new buildings or overgrown trees and bushes.
- Severe soil compaction with disrupted soil aeration system.
- Low thickness of the superficial fertile soil layer.
- Increased acidity of garden soil.
- Mowing the lawn too infrequently or too low.
- Grass exhausted due to inadequate or incorrect lawn care.
- Too much or too little soil nutrients.
What damage can moss cause to the lawn?
So the appearance of moss among the grass in lawns is a problematic symptom that you should not ignore. This is a sign that not only the condition of your garden soil, but also that of your lawn, is deteriorating. As described above, this usually happens because of poor water, air and nutrient composition of the soil. If too little air penetrates the soil surface, it also becomes more susceptible to fungal diseases such as mold, moss or other types of fungi. This allowsyellowed spots on the lawnappear, which could also mean the end of your lawn.
In addition, moss multiplies quickly in the lawn, depriving the grass of nutrients and moisture and eventually taking over its place. It is almost impossible to get rid of it without eliminating the causes of its occurrence. If well-grown grass is healthy, dense and bright green, moss simply cannot settle in it. Therefore, in the spring you should diligently meet all the requirements for your lawn, such as aerating the soil and theTo scarify the lawn. A rake can be used for this, although you will also need to ensure appropriate watering in dry weather.
What measures should be taken when dealing with mosses?
After you have provided proper lawn care, you should add iron sulfate to the moss in the lawn. This chemical will feed the grass, along with an appropriate fertilizer. You should mix the ingredients carefully and distribute them evenly over the mowed lawn. Water the grass area liberally after each feeding if your soil is still dry in spring. If the moss in the lawn turns yellow, you can collect it with a rake. You can then spot the bald spots in theDigging garden soiland sow seeds from your selected grass mixture. Afterwards, mow the lawn weekly at a height of 4 to 4.5 cm and, if it is growing intensively, every 4-5 days. However, do not let it grow more than 6.5-7 cm.
In addition, the appearance of moss in the lawn under dense shade is inevitable. In such a place, it is best to plant shade-loving perennials so that sunlight can penetrate through them. Even if your garden soil is fairly acidic, you should fertilize the soil with calcium nitrate instead of ammonium sulfate. It is best to dissolve this in water up to 17 g per 1 m². Otherwise, the soil may become compacted, and if drainage is poor or the fertile layer is thin, you will have to start over.
Prevent further damage from moss in the garden and aerate the soil
Normally, insects, bacteria and fungal infections do not prevent the moss in the lawn from continuing to thrive. It can also tolerate prolonged drying out of the garden soil. In addition, mosses can reproduce not only through spores, but also vegetatively. They are also able to destroy crops and lawn grass in a very short time by cutting off oxygen access to their root systems. In addition, their development is hindered by the absorption of a large amount of nutrients and moisture by the parasitic mosses. As a result, the grass dies and mosses settle in its place. This can significantly slow crop growth, flowering and fruiting.
The best thing you can do to improve the condition of your lawn is to aerate the soil. You can also try using a rake to rake out the moss. In this way you loosen the grass and the surface layer of soil. During the spring season and in the fall, this can also be done with a sharp hoe. To do this, you have to work the lawn once along the length of the field and once across, i.e. crosswise. You can also get better airflow to the grass roots by loosening the garden soil using an iron pitchfork or aspecially made lawn rollerpierce with iron tips to a depth of 8 cm. However, before carrying out these gardening tasks, you should mow the lawn at a height of 3 to 4 cm. You can then collect the remains dug up during aeration and use them in your compost pile.
Use common methods and remove moss from the lawn
You can also make such gardening easier with alternative control measures. Removing moss will be easier if you respond to the problem in a timely manner and take effective countermeasures. The methods used can be physical or chemical, although prevention can also be the key to success, such as leveling the site, drainage and mulching to prevent overwatering. Occasionally fertilize your green areas with nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizers that have a high iron sulfate content.
In addition, when removing moss from the lawn, you can use home remedies in combination with the other measures.
- Spraying the affected areas with a solution of copper sulfate and potassium permanganate also helps to remove the moss.
- When using iron sulfate, you can make a solution of 50 grams in 10 liters of water and use it to treat moss in the lawn.
- You can also use lime and dolomite as well as wood ash as effective antidotes for moss in the lawn.
- When removing mechanically, you should till the top layer of soil to a depth of no more than 3 cm.
- If you have indoor lawns, areas affected by moss can be covered with a black film. Then you can water the soil with boiling water before planting.
Above all, it is important to note that this will likely be a long-term project and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Moss in the lawn is always a possibility, and all it wants to do is grow and multiply to keep its species alive.
You can find out how to deal with moss on fruit trees correctlyread here.
