Take Control Of The Moss In Your Lawn

Moss. Lovely to behold, fun to touch, but seeing it in your lawn is getting rather old.

OK, we’re not great poets, but we know how difficult it can be to get rid of the moss in your lawn. Moss is great in a garden if that’s where you want it, but moss in your lawn is not a fun problem to have.

The lawn care professionals at Nutri-Lawn Ottawa have the necessary tools to get rid of the moss in your yard with specialized removal products. The moss will turn a brownish-black and will then be easily raked out and then the area can be reseeded.But if you don’t deal with the underlying problem, the moss is likely to return. Here are some of the conditions where moss can thrive.

In order to eradicate moss, it’s important to understand in what conditions moss thrives most. Moss is not like most other plants in that it doesn’t have a root system. When it’s thick enough, you can roll up moss like a carpet. Moss does not move nutrients through roots or leaves. These are the two primary ways most weed control products work, they target the system that delivers the nutrients or the roots, but moss isn’t vulnerable in this way.

Typically, moss requires very little light and lots of moisture. If there are parts of your lawn that get a lot of shade and are maybe lie a little lower, these areas will be more prone to moss. Moss prefers soil that is slightly acidic. These are all the exact opposite conditions preferred by grass, which is why moss often moves in where grass is struggling.

So if you have moss you know that there is likely more than one environmental factor present that’s unfavourable to grass. This may mean adding top soil, having your soil aerated to promote better drainage or relieve compaction, trim back hedges or trees, or treat the lawn with lime. You may need to choose a shade-tolerant grass variety, or address any drainage issues with that portion of your lawn. If you want grass to grow in these areas, you have to tip the scales in favour of the grass and not the moss.

Moss control products work by adding a high-nitrogen (iron) formula which feeds the lawn and dehydrates the moss causing it to turn brown or black within hours. You can then rake it up after a few days and remove it.

Be sure to amend the problems that led the moss to thrive before overseeding or adding sod to the area. If you don’t change the growing conditions that favoured the moss, it will only return in time when the new grass begins to fail. Remember, where moss is thriving it means that conditions are bad for grass.

Talk to the lawn care experts at Nutri-Lawn Ottawa to learn more about our Moss Control service, as well as other ecology friendly lawn care services specially selected for the Ottawa climate.