How to Get Rid of Moss in Your Lawn

Without doubt moss is one of the worst enemies to a healthy lawn. It is an opportunistic plant that takes advantage of any weak areas or bare patches in your lawn and quickly fills them in. Once moss has started growing in an area grass won't grow there so you are left with a patchy, unattractive lawn.

The key to getting rid of moss is to improve the condition of your turf so that the moss doesn't have anywhere to grow. Here are some tips for how to get rid of moss in your lawn.

Grow Healthier Grass

The main reason that moss takes over in the first place is that the grass is weak and not growing well. You can buy moss killer and treat your lawn, but if the grass remains weak and unhealthy the moss will just return again. The key to long term prevention is to grow a healthier lawn.

Growing a better lawn can be tricky, though, since usually the lawn is unhealthy in the first place because of poor growing conditions. These may include poor soil, too much shade, too much moisture or a variety of other problems.

Your first step toward getting a healthier, moss-free lawn is to improve the growing conditions in your yard.

Improve the Soil

Improving the condition of the soil in your yard can go a long ways toward helping you grow thicker turf. Start by testing the acidity of the soil and then mixing in lime or other products to adjust it to the proper pH.

Remove Sun Blockers

Moss usually grown in areas that are well shaded. If possible, look for ways to reduce the amount of shade in the area. Perhaps you could cut a few branches off a tree or remove any obstacles that are blocking the sunlight.

Select the Right Grass

Grass that requires a lot of sunlight or that isn't well suited to your growing conditions won't thrive. Look for grass that grows well in shady or moist areas. Discuss your situation with a plant specialist or an employee at a nursery and they should be able to suggest a grass that will grow well both in your geographical location and in the conditions that you have in your yard.

Getting Rid of the Existing Moss

First things first, you've got to tackle the moss that is already in your yard. You can try a commercial moss killer which essentially burns the moss out of your yard. However, if you choose to go this route be sure to follow the instructions precisely since moss killer can also harm your already weak lawn if it isn't used correctly. When the moss is dead rake it out of your lawn.

If you prefer, you can skip the moss killer and just rake the moss out while it is still living. You may have to put a little more force into your raking to get it out, but with a bit of effort you should be able to remove it.

When the moss is raked out of the area, sprinkle whatever grass seed you chose over any bare patches. Then, sprinkle a touch of topsoil or potting soil over the grass seed and water thoroughly. Allow the grass to establish itself, making sure to stick to a good watering schedule.

When the new lawn grows in it should be much healthier and should help to control the moss.

Can't Beat it? Embrace the Moss

If all else fails why not embrace the moss? Consider digging up that part of your yard and putting in a flower bed, allowing the moss to grow on decorative rocks or stones in the garden. It may not be the ideal solution, but it can be much less of a headache than battling the moss year after year if you can't get healthy grass to grow there.

Or, pave over the area with a stone walkway or gravel path. Problem solved!