We live in the midwest. We recently purchased a condo with lawncare provided by our homeowners association. They do a pretty good job, however we have moss growing on the east side of our condo. How do we eliminate the moss (or suggest to our lawncare people)?
My yard is quite shady and over the last three years the moss has taken over a third of the lawn. Do you have any recommendations on how to get rid or moss?
I have terrible moss in my lawn. Yes, it's shady and I have cleared out as much of the pine trees as practical. Lawn in 25 years old and started showing serious moss about 10 years ago. I use "Moss Out", but it doesn't do all that well. Any ideas? Please respond to my e-mail. cbyx@adelphia.net
What about dealing with Moss? My neighbors mentioned putting lime down in the Fall. Is this a losing battle. We have a few oak trees in the yard. Other than that, the soil back in that area doesn't seem too bad (although I don't know how deep it is).
I think I will finally get the ph tested. It is $7 here, so not to bad I suppose.
I had bought one of those ph testers 2 years back (the type with the probe that you stick in the ground), but it was always hovering around neutral. I always felt that thing wasn't really working properly....
Moss is coming back. I moved in, tore out the lawn and moss, dropped topsoil and now we have loads of moss in our lawn, keeping the grass from filling in.
This article regarding physical control talks about underlying problems. Good read (aligned with this site's commonly liked ideas) if you gloss over thatch removal and count on worms for aeration. The gist of it is help compaction/drainage and avoid shady moist lawn. Low fertility also contributes to moss winning over grass.
Chemical remedies may help now, but if you don't fix the underlying problem you'll be busy next year (or even later this year)...
cool thanks! I need to get some sand in my lawn now! the moss is making it hard for the grass, but yeah, i think the underlying cause is the compacted water shedding soil.
Be careful with sand, it is very difficult to aggregate it with proper amounts into clay soil, so much so that most end up making harder dirt. Compost would be a better choice, since it is not so picky about relative amounts vs. clay.
paul wheaton wrote: Moss is an indicator of acidic soil. Lime will be the smart thing - but how much? Best to have your pH tested.
do you figure my three in one moisture, ph, light meter would suffice? i understand the pH will be different on the surface where the moss and its shallow(if any) roots are present.