Moss can be a nuisance in lawns and gardens, thriving in damp, shaded areas.
Moss is often the bane of lawns and gardens, thriving in those wet, shadowy spots. It creates dense, mat-like clumps that battle with your grass over every drop of moisture and nutrients. Where there’s patchy grass and scant soil, moss and weeds find their chance to shine, perpetuating a rather tiresome cycle: weak lawns breed more moss, and the situation for your green stretches just gets dire.
Sure, you could lash out on harsh chemical treatments to blitz the moss in your turf. But beware – these potions may do a number on your soil and all the critters that call your garden home.
Fear not, though, because gardening whizz Monty Don has swooped in with eco-friendly advice on giving moss the heave-ho naturally and effectively and all you need is your trusty garden fork.
Monty points out moss as “always a symptom” of soggy grounds made worse by shade, reports the Express. He lays down the “answer” to embattled greenery: aerate by thrusting a fork into the earth and giving it a jiggle, repeating this move every six inches or so.
Post-fork, whip up a mix of sieved topsoil, sharp sand, and well-rotted leaf mould or compost.
If sourcing such materials seems like a faff, the revered 69 year old horticulturist says sharp or silver sand will also do the trick.
Once you’ve aerated the turf, Monty suggests scattering your gritty, compost blend across the affected area and sweeping it deeply using a stout broom to promote drainage and pep up the grass.
Next up, he suggests giving your lawn a proper “good scratch” with a wire rake to clear out moss and give better light and moisture access to the soil and roots.
After tidying away the garden waste for composting, it’s time for a trim. Monty commented: “It will look a little bald for a week or so but will grow back thicker than ever.”
However, he warns not to go too low when mowing the grass as it can stress the blades, weaken their hardiness, and encourage more moss to take hold.
Stick to removing just one-third of the grass height at a time. The advice is that if you keep your mower and blades in tip-top shape, mowing more often won’t be a problem.
