When You Use Moss

April 11, 2022 Post a Comment

Raking is the preferred method for removing moss. For small-scale lawns a wire 'leap bok' or fan rake will exercise but it'southward much easier with a hand lawn scarifier. For larger lawns a powered lawn raker or scarifier with wire tines would be best.

Skillful Timing & Backyard Recovery

Moss produces spores generally in Apr. In Eastbourne it will be early, in Lanark it'll be late and in Malvern the heart office of the month as a dominion, but non guaranteed! It spores again in September. Therefore, doing the business organization earlier sporing, if possible is generally a expert thought.

'If possible' can be a problem though. When performing any 'invasive' treatment to the lawn we need the lawn to be able to recover and repair itself in equally short a time every bit possible afterward. If it doesn't then you may swap a weed problem for your moss problem! Non a good idea, so this means warmth, fertiliser and wet must be available to get the grass recovering.

Therefore, leaving the raking until early on to mid April (but before sporing) allows things to warm upwards a little. There is commonly enough of moisture around and the timing will exist right for a fertiliser application afterwards. Though the raking out shouldn't commence until things have warmed upwardly on the footing you'll want to over seed as soon as possible afterwards, whatever application of moss killers tin be done several weeks earlier raking commences.

In autumn, merely wait until the rains kickoff. This volition burn down off the moss but will also mean the grass tin can recover with the rain and September sun.

Moss Killing & Raking

The almost common procedure is to utilise a moss killer to kill the moss, wait a couple of weeks and so rake the moss out. The reasoning is that you tin spread the moss to other parts of your lawn if it is alive thus causing an fifty-fifty bigger problem.

Some considerations:

If yous take a moss problem and so the chances are good there are spores and possibly moss all over the lawn, so raking isn't going to spread information technology to new areas
Applying a moss killer product (granular or liquid) to the lawn will never kill ALL the moss. Some moss may be too deep for the treatment to penetrate all the way
When y'all rake you will now spread this remaining live moss around partially defeating the object of applying moss killer in the first place!

My culling method is:

Rake out the moss. Y'all volition non go it all
Apply a moss killer to the moss that remains afterward raking. The moss will now be thin enough to allow better penetration of the moss killer
This method volition get in excess of 90% of the moss

Note: If applying ferrous sulphate afterward raking which is to exist followed by seeding you should use a soluble product such as Lawnsmith Green-up Ferrous Sulphate Non a dry granular one such as Lawnsmith Winter Dark-green. This is considering dry products are slower to react and may effect the seedlings.

Perhaps the real benefit of applying a moss killer prior to raking is that the moss killer will desiccate the moss to some caste thereby reducing its bulk. Then, if y'all have a bad enough problem applying a moss killer before and after raking may be very beneficial. If using but ferrous sulphate products allow several weeks between treatments with the applications beingness made in absurd wet conditions otherwise you will showtime to blacken the grass. In add-on ensure your moss killer is low on fertiliser (nitrogen) content every bit a double application may cause growth or disease problems. Straight iron sulphate moss killer or MossOff would be the preferred choice in this case.

Moss Removal Action Plan

Winter Light-green Loftier Iron tin can be substitiuted very finer for ferrous sulphate if applied earlier raking. It is slower to react than soluble ferrous sulphate applied equally a liquid and therefore may bear on seedlings if practical after raking and just before seeding
If applying ferrous sulphate or MossOff prior to raking do this 7 to fourteen days before. Damp weather meliorate penetration in to the moss if using ferrous sulphate so if conditions are dry out give the lawn a very lite sprinkling with the hose prior to application. Do not water after. Dry conditions are required if using MossOff. A light loftier topping with the mower beforehand will also aid penetration whichever product y'all are using
Because moss products acidify the soil you MUST use it uniformly over the whole lawn otherwise you lot volition create pH variations which will affect grass growth and may even increase moss infestations in future years.
Rake out the moss on a dry twenty-four hour period normally April to early May when the grass is noticeably growing (and tardily Baronial or early on September if raking end of season). Mow the lawn reasonably close before hand to better expose the moss and reduce resistance on the rake
If applying ferrous sulphate afterward raking practise it straight afterward raking and ensure all droppings is removed first. Using a rotary backyard mower to suck upwardly the last few $.25 can be a good idea. If applying ferrous sulphate before AND later on your timing needs to change as applying loftier doses of ferrous sulphate less than 4 weeks autonomously can damage the grass. Therefore, if yous are planning to spray earlier and after, spray three weeks before raking and re-spray i calendar week afterward. If in doubt utilise a reduced dose (3g/mⁱⁱ) on the second spray. If you lot introduce MossOff into your programme every bit the second treatment so the period betwixt moss treatments can be reduced frequently making the plan more manageable and user friendly. See the Moss Eradication Plan below.
If you're not applying ferrous sulphate after raking then you can immediately over seed and fertilise to consummate the procedure. Otherwise expect 24 to 48hours after applying ferrous sulphate earlier seeding and feeding.
Any weedkilling where immature grass is concerned needs to be done with Weedol at least two months before or later seeding/germination.