Lawns could do with some attention as the UK has now entered the autumn season as many weeds love to germinate and moss tends to thrive at this time.
Kate Turner, a horticulture whizz and gardening guru from Love The Garden, has warned that while weeds are a common lawn nuisance, moss signals poor lawn health due to issues like inadequate drainage, excessive shade, insufficient fertiliser, overly short grass cutting, or heavy footfall.
She explained: “Moss in lawns is a sign that there is an underlying problem with the lawn. This can be caused by any of several factors, including poor drainage, shade, lack of fertiliser, [the] grass [being] cut too short or heavy foot traffic.”
But fear not as there’s a straightforward fix for banishing both weeds and moss, which also deters moss from making an unwelcome return – that’s scarifying your lawn.
Scarifying is a gardening method designed to remove the layer of thatch that accumulates over time between the soil and grass on a lawn.
Thatch consists of various organic materials such as dead grass, plant roots, leaves, and other garden detritus which can block water, air, and nutrients from penetrating the soil, leading to a host of lawn problems.
Some of the biggest problems thatch causes are poor drainage, stunted root growth, compacted soil, patchy grass, increased risk of pests plus weeds and moss growing on your lawn.
Scarifying a lawn is a simple process where you just need to rake over the lawn in spring, which will remove the excess thatch and also help to extract weeds.
Kate explained: “If the moss problem is mild, it may be possible to get on top of it by simply scarifying and then improving the overall health of the lawn with regular lawn care to stop the moss coming back.”
She went on to say: “Always mow before scarifying and try not to be too vigorous in spring, only scarify until you can see soil underneath.”
Nonetheless, dealing with moss effectively often requires a mix of scarifying, proper lawn care, and the application of a moss-killer treatment.
Kate noted: “Scarifying moss before treatment is a good idea as if there is a really thick problem then the treatment doesn’t always get to work to the underneath sections so loosening it and thinning it will help the treatment get to work.”
It’s recommended to opt for an organic moss killer, which is more eco-friendly and simplifies the treatment process.
Kate highlighted: “An advantage of organic moss killers is that since the bacteria effectively ‘digest’ the moss in situ it doesn’t go black and needs no raking out.”
For optimal results, organic moss killers should be used between late spring and early autumn since they require temperatures above 15C to function effectively.
Kate concluded: “Moss and weeds in lawns don’t need to be a problem. With a little care and attention, you can turn a mossy lawn into beautiful green turf to be proud of.”
