Last year we bought a 30 year old home in Maple Ridge with a huge lawn. The lawn lacked alot of meintenance, as did most of the property, and most significantly has been very overgrown, has lots of moss especially closest to our hedge at the back of the house. What is the easiest way to get rid of the moss? If I have the time, would it make more sense just to ripup the old lawn, level everything and reseed it? And would this be okay in the spring time or right now? thank you Andre
the moss will come back. moss is common in the lower mainland and should be allowed to co-exist with your turf grass, its the least painful way of having a lawn. there are products to reduce the amount of moss in the lawn after which you can re-seed to help thicken up the lawn grasses. also consider a soil test to determine if applying lime would help reduce the vigor of the moss.
jimmyq is right. I've seen countless attempts to control or eradicate moss in coastal regions. It's can be done with lots of work, time and patience but inevitably will return if not rigorously attended to. I personally don't do battle with moss as I have better things to do with my time and money... and hey, it's soft under foot, and doesn't need mowing! Cheers, Barrie.
Fair enough and thank you for your help. This house is a big project to get it to where I want on a limited budget so there is alot of DIY stuff that I don't know about. On that note, if I can pick your brains further... The back yard is very uneven so from an esthetical standpoint I want to level it out and obviously reseed it. I have been told that if I put down 2 to 3 inches of sand underneath the top soil layer I will have healthier grass, better drainage and I might just eliminate the moss. Is there any truth to that? This seems like alot of sand. Andre
2-3 inches of sand? no, not a great idea. sand mixed in to a soil can help drainage, toa point, if you get too much sand then it doesnt drain past the overloaded phase (field capacity). you could add a sand/ soil mix made for lawn topdressing, that might help the issue. and overseed of course to cover bare areas and thicken non bare areas.
Just a comment on moss control. A lot of times when a lawn is left unmaintained for many years moss will grow in areas that are very easy to control. And usually one good treatment a year will contol moss effectively. In areas that have very poor drainage and extreme shade, then it can take a couple of sprays a year to control moss. Moss control sprays are relatively cheap, and most cases when the weather warms up your turf grasses will grow right through the black dead moss. Moss controls are generally most effective between Mar and May, and then again in Nov-Dec. You may be quite surprised how a simple lawncare program could make your lawn look like new turf by summer. eg. heavy liming now : liquid moss control : spring,summer,fall fertilizing : summer weed control. Turf is not really rocket science, apply those basic treatments along with proper mowing and plenty of water and you can't go wrong. Well, at least after you fix any drainage, bare patches, and fill in holes. Do beware if your topdressing and going to have a lot of bare patches your overseeding, that if you have any fields or wild zones neighboring your lot, wild field grasses will overseed your lawn faster than your turf seed will grow. And you may end up with a worse lawn. I have just seen this happen all to often, when just filling a few holes and reviving the exisiting turf would have been cheaper, easier, and more effective. I don't know if this a problem for you, I just mentioned it because you said it was a huge lawn, and your in farm country. Jim.
