How Do You Get Rid of Moss in Your Lawn?

Moss is a common problem that many homeowners face. This plant tends to grow in large patches that take up huge swathes of your lawn, preventing any grass from growing there. It doesn’t look great, and it’s easily disturbed by foot traffic.

Moss is a problem, so how do you get rid of moss in your lawn? There are many simple methods for removing moss and some great ways to keep it from coming back. With just a little extra work, you’ll have a moss-free lawn that you can enjoy at your leisure.

Removing Moss From Your Lawn

Moss is a living, growing plant. It has very shallow roots, so you can easily dislodge it. But taking up chunks still leaves pieces from which more can develop. A variety of commercially available herbicides can target moss specifically and kill it without damaging your surrounding lawn.

These products are generally relatively safe. Many rely on high concentrations of iron compounds to kill moss, which is toxic to the moss but actually benefits the grass in your lawn. Don’t use a generic herbicide for weeds. These won’t be as effective and can damage your grass.

There are some all-natural methods for accomplishing the same goal for homeowners who aren’t partial to chemical herbicides. In theory, both regular dish soap and baking soda will kill moss. Just dilute them with water and apply them to the area.

You won’t need much, so use a spray bottle to spritz the area. Neither the soap nor the baking soda will hurt your grass. The results aren’t always as great as with the chemical herbicide, but it’s certainly a viable option for the environmentally conscious.

Within a day of application, the moss should start dying. You’ll notice the plant becoming orange and brown. To remove the dead moss, you can use a household rake.

With the moss gone, you’re now free to reseed or re-sod, but how are you going to prevent it from happening again? Bag up the moss in yard waste or compost bags to avoid the spread of spores. These spores will allow more moss to grow, and that’s just what you’re looking to avoid.

Keeping Your Lawn Moss-Free

You’ve already answered, how do you get rid of moss in your lawn? Now the question is, how do you keep it free of moss for good? Moss is a resilient plant that springs up wherever it can, so when left unattended, your lawn will quickly grow more. The key components that lead to moss growth are:

Acidic soil
Excessive or inadequate water
Too much shade
Poor soil aeration

All of these factors contribute to moss patches, and carefully ensuring they’re taken care of can keep your lawn lush and green.

Managing Soil pH

Most grasses grow best around a pH between 6.0 and 7.0—from neutral to just slightly acidic. When your soil grows too acidic, it makes it difficult for grass to grow. Moss quickly takes hold of any empty spots it can find and thrives in the otherwise hostile soil.

Lime is the most common agent used for reducing the acidity of lawns. It comes in a convenient pelletized form that can spread with any lawn spreader or manually if need be. Early spring is the best time to apply lime to any lawn to ensure that it dissolves and spreads evenly.

Monitoring Your Lawn’s Water

Any standing water on your lawn is going to favor the growth of moss heavily. The excessive water that leads to moss growth is typically the result of poor drainage. That can be caused by depressions in the ground, footprints on heavily trafficked lawns, and soil conditions preventing drainage.

To get better drainage for your lawn, note any puddles that develop and landscape accordingly to resolve them. Aeration in the spring opens up pores in your lawn to decompress soil and allow for better drainage. That is especially important in soils with high clay content.

Cut Back on the Shade

Moss loves to grow in areas that are in deep shade. You’ll often find it directly beneath trees or beside some structures. If you can, try trimming back some branches to allow some more light to get through. You can’t do much about shade in many cases, especially if it’s due to a building. In these scenarios, do your best to reduce excess water and optimize pH in the affected areas.

At North Atlantic Land, we provide a full range of lawn care and landscaping services. If you’re asking, “how do you get rid of moss in your lawn,” the answer could be as simple as calling in our professional team to find the perfect solution for your unique lawn.

North Atlantic Landscape has built a reputation for quality work and transparent values in the site work, snow management and trucking sectors. Our approach to landscaping is exactly the same. Invest in the best equipment, hire the best personnel, develop the best management plan and do what we said we would do. NAL provides commercial and residential landscaping services throughout the Seacoast Region of New Hampshire, York County in Maine, and Essex County in Massachusetts. Request your free landscape assessment today!