we have had a steady build of what looks like cushion moss on our driest patches of lawn. the lawn is on a sandy soil that is not hugely high in nutrients. we do not generally let it dry out. what type of moss is it? and does anybody have any suggestions for stopping the spread. i thought that moss only liked wet areas? thanks ian
Ian--we have a similar experience on our sandy, neutral pH lawn. No watering at all during our dry summers, moss grows well in the lawn even in full sun. The one thing that would discourage the moss seems to be greater fertility...this would encourage your grass to crowd out most weeds and moss. Personally, I just live with the moss, nice and green and soft, and no mowing needed.
Another factor in making for a "happy" moss lawn is soil compaction. Perhaps core-aerification (machine that removes plugs of soil & creates a 2-3 inch space to allow H20 - nutrients - lime etc into the lower levels of soil quicker to do their thing. Be sure to do this when you grass is actively growing - here in NC we do this in the fall and is only needed as conditions warrant. The plugs are admittedly a tad unsightly, but will degrade with rain, snow, time etc. A soil test will determine for sure how much lime might be needed to remedy the pH factor - moss needs a low pH to be happy. Your grass will, of course perform best at a specific range & the trick is to try to stay in that range. I'm not really a lawn freak & often suggest to folks if grass is more difficult to maintain, try converting part of the problem into a new landscape bed. Try to think of "problems" as a door to new opportunities -- etc, etc. Hope this helps.
Good point about aeration, GG. With heavier soils and some foot traffic, a lot of lawns can benefit from the plug coring deal. I know my lawn is growing on nearly pure sand, and Ian also mentions his soil is sandy...mine for sure never needs plug aeration. It does remind me that I have a nice hardpan about 18in. down, which leads to waterlogging over the wet winter. This would be a good thing to eliminate, but even subsoil ripping with a tractor would only be temporary...these things just reform in another year or so (with our climate and soils). For sure the moss handles this winter flooding better than grass...very likely a major reason for the good crop of moss here! I'm with you on trying to adapt to the moss, rather than fighting with it. However, I'm on an acre, a lot of it in lawn, and might feel different if my small urban lawn was looking this tatty. I also forgot to mention the importance of mowing height...we try to keep our lawns mown as high as practical, like 3-4in. Very good for the grass, while mowing short just works to the (uscathed) moss' advantage... Glen
Hi All Ian Do you thatch or bag when you cut? To much thatch on the soil could cause probs to. We did a test on a 53 acrea property in Abbotsford where we dethatched / and aerated in the spring / aplied 23/23/23 fertilizer Aerated in the fall and applied bonemeal / it took 2 years for the area to recover but it did:) We have had good success with this in prince george (BC) zone 2/3/4 on sandy and clay soil. In places our soil is so sandy that a 200 lb person can lean on a 4 foot piece of rebar and send it 3.5 feet down without assistance. Regards Doug
Will you accept moss rather than grass? I know, it's such a hard concept. At least that's what I thought of the idea 2 years ago, after it was suggested to me. Having spent 3-4 years fighting the "enemy", it's hard to accept that it, the moss, could actually be part of the garden and a solution to "the problem". Well, it was clear that I was fighting a losing battle. The area was partially under a large and expanding cedar. The lawn there can never be at the best of shape. But the moss thrived. I relented, and looking at it now, I am amazed how a moss covered area can be so aesthetically pleasing, especially with a few well placed mossy boulders.
Why not just get the moss killer out? ( Iron Hepta) Or do they sell that where you live? Granular or liquid, apply it in the rain and the moss will die right before your eyes. Your grass will grow right through it in no time. And it will take years for it to grow back in a dry sunny part of your lawn. And the bonus is iron will turn your lawn a nice dark green colour. ps I love moss, killing it is probably 20% of my entire annual business income.
I'd like to reiterate the garden's position re: pesticide use: Chemicals if (absolutely) necessary, but not necessarily chemicals - in summary, Integrated Pest Management
I wonder where liquid moss killer (iron sulfate) stands in wake of IPM? Is it a chemical Pesticide (even though it has no PCP#) that is damaging the environment? Or is a mineral nutrient that is benifical to soil amd plants excluding moss? People will pay a little extra to buy fertilizer with 2% iron in it. And besides staining what other damages are there?
From here (via Oregon State), iron sulfate is benign. Rereading my previous post, I think I give a wrong impression about the chemical. What I should have said was that moss control (if the mosses can't be accepted for being mosses) should lead with changing the conditions for moss growth as a first priority. If chemicals are necessary for immediate results, it seems like iron sulfate isn't going to do much or any harm, but a long-term solution would incorporate changing the variables for moss growth so that reapplication isn't necessary. Also, the same results might be achieved by changing the conditions for moss growth over a longer period of time without having to use any chemical at all.