How To Get Rid Of Moss

You’re having a get-together in your backyard. As you’re walking barefoot through the grass to say hello to a friend, your foot takes a step into squishy, spongy, slimy moss. It scrunches between your toes and makes your face curl up in regret. Surely there must be a way to get rid of lawn moss and create a healthy lawn that you can walk through barefoot without worry!

Learning how to get rid of moss in your lawn is a long process that can take several tries to find an effective method to kill mosses and promote the growth of lawn grasses. There’s a wide array of reasons your lawn is full of moss and a wide selection of products to use on lawns that need moss control. Navigation of killing and preventing moss can be tricky, but moss is just a plant that you can easily remove to promote healthy green grass.

The Reason Your Lawn Is Full Of Moss

Moss is a grass growth that occurs when conditions are favourable for it to grow. Unlike fungi, moss is a plant and can grow on a variety of surfaces from rocks to trees and your lawn. Moss competes with your grass, and when not properly dealt with moss controls your lawn. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to moss growing on your lawns including:

Poor Drainage

Moss thrives in moist areas. Having a dip in your lawn or having an overly-saturated lawn creates the perfect breeding ground for moss and makes killing moss a tough task. Proper aeration can help with drainage control.

Your Soil PH level

Your soil can be too acidic, which makes it hard for healthy grass to grow. This also creates soil conditions that favour the growth of mosses.

Excessive Shade

Your grass struggles from not enough sun to begin with and having too much shade for your lawn can also promote lawn moss growth. Shade can prevent grass from getting the water and nutrients it needs to compete against moss.

Ways To Kill Lawn Moss

One of the easiest ways to remove lawn moss is to rake your lawn thoroughly in the early spring. This helps to remove moss that’s loose and dethatches your lawn to help avoid moss from returning. You can use a rake, or dethatching attachment on your lawnmower to assist in removing moss.

But removing moss is only part of the battle. When working to kill moss in your lawn, you have to work to ensure the situation doesn’t come back. In this case, removing the symptom does not remove the cause.

Testing Your Soil

By testing your soil fertility, you can see if your lawn is a breeding ground for moss spores. A soil test can determine your soil’s PH levels and let you know if your yard needs different nutrients for the grass to be able to compete with moss. A soil test can be a good indicator of what the cause of moss growth is and test results can let you know with products will work best to promote the growth of green grass.

Home Remedies For Moss Control

For small patches, dish soap can help get rid of moss. By mixing 2 ounces of dish soap for every gallon of water in a garden sprayer, gardeners can spray their lawns with the mixture and watch their moss dry up. The patches will turn a brown or orange colour, and be easily removable with a rake.

Another one of the products people swear by for aiding with a moss problem is vinegar. This environmentally-friendly alternative to chemical herbicides also dries up moss and makes for easy removal. Newer growths can be dealt with using household vinegar but industrial-strength vinegar is recommended for older moss growths. Pour straight vinegar on the patches of moss and wait for up to ten minutes. You should easily be able to scrape the moss off the surface of your lawn.

Other people use lawn lime as a method of getting rid of moss. This can be applied either in late fall or early spring to help promote alkaline levels in soil and help reduce the acidity of your soil that leads to moss growing in your yard.

The Heavy-Duty Way To Get Rid Of Moss

The best, most tried-and-true method to kill lawn moss is using iron sulphate (or iron sulfate if you’re American). This method works by mixing iron sulphate with water and spraying the solution onto mosses. The moss will then turn black and effectively kill moss in your lawn efficiently. Iron sulphate can stain articles of clothing and sidewalks so it’s important to use a proper lawn spreader and wear eye protection. Iron sulphate is an effective method of moss control but also a method that requires proper safety protocol and conditions to be in place.

Maintaining Your Healthy Lawn

Now that you’ve mastered getting rid of moss, it’s important to maintain your lawn through proper water, and grass seed care. If you want your grass to maintain a turf-like appearance, search close for any signs of moss growing in your yard. Be aware of how much water your yard is getting, and find ways to ensure proper drainage and feeding of your lawn.

Lawns need nutrients to help them thrive in their constant battle against moss. By taking care of mosses and other conditions that can lead to a poorly-maintained lawn, you’re creating a wonderful lawn you and your family can enjoy during the summer months. Getting rid of moss was the first step for you, but now you can focus on creating that healthy, turf-like lawn you’ve always wanted. There are always factors that will contribute to a fabulous lawn like proper watering, sunshine and mowing – but you got this because you know how to get rid of pesky moss the second comes back.

No more surprise squishy, slimy steps for you because your lawn is moss-free and beautiful with our tips for battling your moss problem. Whether it was an issue with drainage, PH level, or just the slope of your lawn that caused moss to grow, you can be assured these tried-and-true tips will help you achieve the green grass you’ve always wanted.

Author

Colin Thomas MacMillan

Colin Thomas MacMillan, CEO of Riverwood Landscape, boasts over 8 years of expertise in landscaping and 3 years in transportation and logistics. A prominent figure, he serves as a board member for the Waterloo Chapter of Landscape Ontario and has been a vital part of the community for five years. Recognized for his insights, Colin has contributed to major industry events, including LeadsCON 2023. His entrepreneurial journey in landscaping began post-high school, driven by a lifelong aspiration and self-taught skills. Outside work, Colin's interests span history and video games, and he's dedicated three years to learning German, reflecting his commitment to personal growth. His professional ethos emphasizes a resilient, people-first approach, advocating for mastering current tasks and prioritizing quality in business and client relations. An avid reader of industry articles and an active networker, Colin's dynamic approach to professional development cements his status as a leader and an inspiration in landscaping and logistics.