Moss becomes most prevalent in autumn and winter when increased moisture and reduced warmth prevent surfaces from drying out. Shorter days, lower sun and slower growth create ideal conditions, especially in shaded, compacted or poorly drained areas where grass struggles.
Skip to: What is Moss? How to remove Moss? How can I keep Moss away?
What is Moss?
Mosses are small green non-vascular plants that grow in clumps. They are generally only a few centimetres tall with extremely thin leaves.
Moss enjoys conditions that are wet, shaded and compacted. It is important to understand that moss itself isn’t the problem, it is the favourable conditions that the moss enjoys growing in. Turf on the other hand, generally hates these conditions, so you need to act quick before the moss continues to spread.
How to remove Moss
If you are already plagued with Moss, then you will need to remove it. This will enable your lawn to repair and spread back into the affected area.
- You can do so by physically removing it with a spade or rake, being sure to get underneath it and remove the roots from the ground as you do.
- Moss Killer usually contains iron sulphate. Iron can be good for your lawn when it is deficient. But it doesn’t like it too much, so an application of iron sulphate will usually cause it to die off.
- Mixing water and dish soap and spraying the Moss with it, is also another method often used to kill it.
How to ensure Moss stays away:
The key is to focus on the cause of the problem, so that it doesn’t keep growing back again.
Aeration – Aerating compacted ground will help the area drain better and allow oxygen and nutrients to the roots of your lawn. This will allow it to fight back against the Moss.
Improve drainage – If there are substantial drainage issues, you may need to look at putting in a drain or ag pipe to drain the water away and stop it from pooling.
Reduce shade – By reducing the amount of shade where possible, you will help the sun to dry the area out much quicker. This will ensure it doesn’t stay wet for long enough to be favourable for it to grow.
Check your soil pH – Make sure the area has a pH level optimum for your grass to grow. You may find an application of Lime is required if the soil is too acidic. Moss prefers acidic soils, but it will also grow fine in alkaline soils. Grass prefers a pH somewhere between 6 to 7.5.
After removing it and addressing the causes of the problem, it is a good time to give your lawn a fertiliser application and encourage your grass to repair. Something like our Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser is ideal.
Check out the Lawn Solutions Australia lawn care page for more helpful tips here.
