Moss Lawn Care: Management and Control

Mosses have been existing for over 350 million years and are still alive and well today. Lawn moss can grow in dense mats that compete with grass for water and nutrients, leaving the lawn uneven and mushy to walk on. These primitive plants thrive in moist, gloomy situations and may swiftly take over poor lawns. It’s fairly uncommon for moss to grow on your lawn in the spring and fall. In reality, most gardeners may encounter moss at some point, especially at this time of year. Moss is the term given to a group of primitive non-flowering plants that spread rapidly over soil. Despite the fact that there are many distinct forms of moss, they may be divided into three types:

• Upright moss — A bigger, tufted kind
• Cushion moss – small clusters of growth all at once
• Trailing moss — This moss has a feathery look

How to Identify Moss

Moss is typically seen as coarse, loose green or yellow tufts among the grass. It can, however, grow into thickly matted tufts or little forests of miniature Christmas trees. It gives the grass a very uneven color and surface. When there is a lot of loose moss on the ground, it may make it feel quite squishy to walk on. When it comes to detecting moss, try not to mix it with algae; nonetheless, algae have a very different appearance. It’s generally dark and has a faint similarity to frog spawn.

Management and Control

Mosses are weeds that can be difficult to keep under control in both higher-cut lawns and low-mow golf course. Several moss species can infest turfgrass stands at lawn height, but silvery-thread moss is the most frequent species seen in close-cut turf. Scarification, or raking the lawn to remove moss and thatch, is a physical method of moss removal. In small gardens, this may be done by hand using a spring tine rake.

If the moss problem is minor, you may be able to eliminate it by scarifying the lawn and then improve the overall health of the lawn with regular lawncare to prevent the moss from returning. Getting rid of moss in lawns with a major problem, on the other hand, necessitates a mix of moss killer, scarifying, and lawncare.