Moss in your lawn: Eliminate the causes for its formation and you will be the winner

Does moss slowly take over your lawn? If so, you probably failed to provide proper care. The myth that the main cause for the appearance of moss is a lack of calcium in the soil has already been debunked several times. Liming your lawn will not do much either. You need to do more than just mow, sprinkle and regularly fertilize your lawn. The most important thing is to eliminate the actual causes that support moss growth. So, what are these causes and how can you eliminate them?

Do not “scalp” your loan

Do not mow your lawn too short because short mowing weakens it considerably. Simply put, the grass cannot regenerate fast enough and the empty areas, you have created, are vulnerable to moss. When mowing keep the height of the grass around 3 to 5 cm, water properly and thicken regularly.

A lack of nutrients

Your lawn may be suffering from lack of nutrients, and as you know, moss needs very little to survive. This is why you should supply your lawn with enough nitrogen and other substances. You can supply nitrogen, for example, through meat and bone meal powder. Use about 100 grams per 1 m². You can also use special fertilizers, which cost more, but you apply them only three times a year.

Too much shade

Moss can grow easily in dark places with almost no light. For example, moss loves shady areas near walls or under trees. Here you should have plants that do well in shady areas such as blue bugler, periwinkle or ivy. And if you have plenty of trees, try to thin their crowns properly to make sure that as much light as possible reaches the ground.

High traffic

If you often play football on your lawn or use it for other sports, you will damage it much quicker. The soil gets compacted, grass destroyed and moss gets a chance to take over the available spots. Best is to aerate the soil regularly to allow your lawn breathe again.

Wet spots

If your lawn has wet spots, you can bet that moss will eventually stick to them. If this is the case, you should create a drainage area to remove the excessive water from your lawn, and thus reduce the probability of moss creation.

Excessive mulching

If you do not mind collecting cut bras manually, instead of using a lawnmower, then you can use mulch on your lawn However, moderation is the key. Frequent mulching may slow down the natural decay of the cut grass, which creates almost impermeable felt-like layer.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

What about if you already have moss…

The best way to remove moss is to use a verticutter. This machine will remove the remains of dead plants easily. You can also use chemicals to get rid of moss. There are many products on the market. Most contain ferrous sulphate because moss hates iron.

Preview photo: Radek Štěpán