Lawn moss problem

GlynD

I'd be inclined to dig a sump at the lowest point of the garden then lay a herring bone of land drainage pipe into it from the damp area. Bury it about 1' down. That'll dry it up for you and stop most of the moss.

SeniorSam

Just seen all the replies and many of them are just as sceptical as I first thought. However, since I have spent loads of dosh in earlier years and many hours scarifying, raking, airiating etc etc, I thought it worth a try and ordered it.

Even when I was spreading it, I though I may have wasted my money, but IT WORKS.

Don't have a clue why, but I did look up all I could on the internet before ordering and found that there had been many newspaper reports on how good it was.

I have nothing to benefit by saying this. Only wanted to pass on a really good thing, the best I have found for this problem. The moss does go away and the grass gets stronger, although it takes a few weeks for the treatments and fertiliser to work.

For about 18 months, I have also had 'Green Thumbs' treating my lawn in the hope that they could improve it and get rid of the moss, but to no avail as the semi- shaded area did not help and it continued to thrive. Last week the Green Thumbs guy came again and was amazed how well the shaded area had improved and said he would get his boss to have a look at it. I suggested that would not help because the boss had not seen how bad it was before, but our treatment guy was well impressed.

Try it............. or don't. I couldn't really care less, but it does work and if you do try it, please come onto this site again and report your findings, which I feel sure will be positive next time.

Sam.

gardenroute

You can also buy a box of sulphate of iron for a few pounds. Add a handful to a watering can with a rose and then water it onto the lawn. On a hot day the moss will turn black in minutes. You should rake this out - though this is not always practical, too expensive, etc so you could leave it in, it wil rot down in 4-6 weeks anyway. After that you just need to kill the moss before it forms a thick layer so there's no need to rake it out.
Another effective method of moss control is to raise the cutting height on the mower. This allows the grasses to outcompete the moss and some of the weeds common in lawns.
n.b. one of the causes of lawn moss is a low soil pH and sulphate of iron may make this worse over time. As mentioned a few times above the causes of moss should be identified and dealt with first.