Skip the herbicides and get rid of moss in the lawn with these eco-friendly tips.
Dean Schoeppner
Some gardeners grow moss intentionally as a low-maintenance groundcover orturf grass alternative.
What Causes Moss in Lawns?
Credit:Dean Schoeppner
The fastest way to remove moss is with hand-pulling, raking, or using a lawnmower dethatching attachment.
Because moss plants have shallow root systems, they usually come up with little effort.
It is even easier to remove if you water it before hand-pulling or raking.
These sprays cause moss plants to die back without affecting the growth of grass.
Then rake up any dead moss you see and toss it in trash bags to prevent spores from spreading.
You may also want toinstall garden walkwaysorstepping stonesto reduce foot traffic and prevent further soil compaction.
Asoil testis the best way to determine if your soil pH levels are too acidic for healthy grass.
If they are, a fall app ofgarden limemay be in order.
Once youve addressed the lawn issues, your turf grass should bounce back quickly.
However, moss (and other weeds) can still take advantage of bare soil if you let them.
Moss lawns are very low maintenance.
They dont need to be mowed, and theyre good solutions for shady properties where grass wont thrive.
Vinegar sprayscan kill moss, but they can affect the growth of grass too.
However, when moss appears suddenly, its likelydue to overwateringor excessive rainfall.
