rid of moss on grass??

[premprop51]

this is the first real time iv spent in my garden but noticed that the grass is covered with moss infact theres not much grass at all its very spongy, is there anyway to get rid of this without having to rip up the whole garden??

cheers.

 

[kegnkiwi]

Have a look at an electric lawn rate or scarfier mate, do a search on the hss.com website.

 

[bro]

Cause - Poor growing conditions favour the growth of moss in lawns. These might include:

• Sparse grass cover
• Worn areas of turf, especially along walkways and where children play
• Shady areas, especially beneath trees
• Compacted soil
• Wet weather and waterlogged conditions
• Drought-stressed grass
• Mowing too close
• Impoverished lawns or infertile soil
• Poorly prepared or poorly maintained lawns
• Acidic soil conditions

Control -Non-chemical control- Scarification: Remove loose moss in autumn, by scarification (vigorous raking). On small lawns this can be done by hand, raking out the moss with a spring-tine rake, but on larger lawns mechanical scarifiers can be hired.
[h=3]Chemical control[/h] For moss control use a proprietary product, such as those based on ferrous sulphate (sulphate of iron) in spring or early autumn. When the moss blackens after two or three weeks use a spring-tine rake to remove it. The dead moss can be added to the compost heap. The ready-to-use formulations of ferrous sulphate can be used to spot treat small patches of moss on lawns.
Mosskillers combined with a fertiliser (nitrogen, phosphorous or potassium, indicated by the abbreviations NPK) are beneficial where grass vigour is low.
Apply mosskillers either by hand or with a push-along spreader. Be careful not to apply lawn sand (ferrous sulphate mixed with a carrier) at too high a rate as this can blacken and kill the grass as well as the moss. Apply lawn mosskillers in fine weather. Some require watering after 48 hours if there has been no rain. Check pack for details.
Control with a mosskiller will only be temporary unless the conditions which allowed the moss to become established are improved.
Patio Magic (containing benzalkonium chloride) will control moss on artificial turf. Keep artificial turf in good condition by regular brushing. Ensure water is not allowed to pool on the surface.
Note on ferrous sulphate: Although ferrous sulphate is widely offered as a fertiliser and soil acidifying agent, unless it is contained within a proprietary lawn mosskiller it is not approved for use as a pesticide and cannot be legally used to control moss. In addition, if it were to be applied as a mosskiller on lawns there is a high risk that it will blacken and potentially kill the grass - a problem seldom encountered with proprietary lawn mosskillers, especially those in pelleted forms, making them easy to apply evenly and accurately.


Moss removal programme - This is an example of a programme you could follow to get rid of moss, and prevent it coming back.
Autumn treatment:

• Early Autumn: Apply autumn fertiliser and mosskiller
• When moss has browned or blackened, scarify the lawn. Aerate with a garden fork or hollow tiner if necessary. Brush in a light lawn top-dressing of three parts loam, six parts sharp sand and one part peat substitute by volume
• If grass is sparse, lightly over-seed before applying the top-dressing, at a rate of 17-34g per sq m (½-1oz per sq yd) with new lawn seed

Spring treatment:

• Mid- to late March: Apply spring fertiliser and mosskiller during fine weather
• Early April: Lightly rake out dead moss
• Lightly over-seed sparsely grassed areas and lightly top-dress as above if necessary

Moss prevention- To prevent moss returning, encourage vigorous grass growth by feeding and regular lawn maintenance, paying particular attention to the following:

• When seeding or laying a lawn in a shaded area, use a grass seed mix or turf specified for shady areas. Reducing shade will also help
• For compacted areas use a garden fork to spike the lawn, or a mechanical slitter on large lawns. This will aerate the turf
• On heavy soils use a manual or mechanical hollow-tiner in autumn to take out small plugs of soil every three or four years, and then brush in a mixture of three parts sandy loam, six parts sharp sand and one part peat substitute by volume
• Avoid mowing grass too short
• On very acid soils an application of garden lime at not more than 50g per sq m (1½oz per sq yd), will slightly reduce acidity and discourage moss

Quick facts Common name Moss
Botanical name Various
Areas affected Lawns and artificial turf
Main causes Damp conditions, poor drainage and low grass vigour
Timing Treat in autumn or spring

 

[MFCGMFC]

rake out the loose with rake or machine and then spread lawn sand on it which you will get from B&Q, spread the lawn sand at the rate shown on the box then the moss will blacken, get back out and rake the black moss out then overseed

if its that bad then re-turfing is sometimes the better option, as with getting rid of the moss if your lucky grass will germinate or weeds will

Cheers
MFCGAVMFC