If you have moss where you wish you had grass growing, you might be feeling frustrated and embarrassed over the state of your yard. Moss is a non-flowering, rootless plant that can pop up in wet areas. It is most commonly found in wetlands but it can grow in the residential landscape if the conditions are right.
If this is a problem you’re dealing with, you probably want to know: How do I get rid of moss in my lawn?
The quick answer is: To get rid of moss, you’ll need to change the growing conditions. Since moss thrives in wet and shady conditions (which are not optimal for grass growth), you’ll need to take steps to reduce shade and improve yard drainage.
In this article, we’ll explain what you do if your lawn is full of moss. By taking the proper action steps, you’ll be on your way to success.
Before we dive more into how to remove moss from a lawn, let’s talk about why it’s growing there in the first place.
Here in Louisville, the vast majority of the times that we find moss growing, it’s because there is too much shade. Moss performs best in shaded areas that do not get a lot of sun or air circulation. These shaded areas tend to be beneath large shade trees.
As you probably already know, it can sometimes be difficult to grow grass in the shade. As a result, you might have spots beneath large trees that are thin or bare. These would be prime spots for moss to grow.
Moss is not going to be able to compete with thick and healthy turf. But it can fill in these bare patches where there’s only dirt.
For that reason, as you might have guessed, the best way to get rid of moss is to address the shady areas on your lawn. We’ll talk more about that next.
While moss is not harmful to the lawn, it’s also not desirable or attractive. Plus, finding moss on the lawn is an indicator that you don’t have healthy conditions for grass to grow.
There are products and homemade solutions out there that claim to remove moss from a lawn, but if you don’t solve the root cause of why moss is growing in the first place (shady and wet conditions), then it’s just going to keep coming back.
The easiest way to immediately get rid of moss is to rake it up. But this is just a temporary fix. You’ll still need to change the growing conditions so it doesn’t just come right back.
Keep in mind that you are also going to be left with bare spots where the moss was growing, so you’ll need to address those as well. However, if moss is growing, that means the conditions are probably not suitable for grass growth.
So before turning to seeding or sodding, you’ll want to correct the problems that caused moss in the first place.
There are a few things to keep in mind as you consider why moss might be growing on your lawn in the first place and also what you should do about it.
First and foremost, the best way to address long-term moss control is to look at increasing the amount of sunlight that your lawn receives. Most of the time, shade is caused by trees. If you have a heavily shaded property due to trees, you’ll want to consider tree pruning.
With tree pruning, the tree canopy can be raised so that your lawn starts getting some early morning and late-day sunlight to help the grass grow better (and kill moss).
Keep in mind that there are shade varieties of grass that might grow better in those areas beneath your trees. If you have a sun-loving grass type growing, it’s probably always going to struggle. Therefore, you might want to consider power seeding those areas with a better grass type.
Of course, if your yard is heavily shaded and you’re really struggling to get grass to grow (and a lawn is very important to you), then tree removal is always an option, too.
But for those of us as Limbwalker (who love trees), this should be saved as a last-resort option.
Since moss also tends to grow in wet areas where there is poor drainage, aerating the lawn can also help.
Because Louisville’s soil is predominantly clay, it does become compacted pretty easily. Clay soil has small pore space to begin with and when it becomes compacted, it’s very difficult for water, oxygen, or nutrients to move toward the subsurface levels where they’re needed most.
Lawn aeration helps the lawn to “breathe” again. This will help the soil to drain better and prevent overly wet conditions.
It’s also important to make sure that you’re properly caring for your lawn and promoting thick and healthy grass growth.
Lawn care services like fertilization, weed control, and even mowing come into play as a healthy lawn will naturally choke out unwanted growth. Moss really only turns up in lawns that are struggling with growth conditions and already don’t have grass.
It always helps to work with a lawn care professional who can provide guidance anytime you have a lawn care question or problem. A lawn care pro will be educated on how to solve problems that are plaguing your property.
If you have moss growing on your lawn, a lawn care professional should be able to advise you on how to address it.
In most cases, moss can be addressed simply by changing the environment.
Keep in mind that since moss is almost always related to having too much shade, it’s very helpful to work with a company that not only handles lawn care services but tree care services as well.
They can provide a more all-encompassing and holistic approach to addressing moss.
A holistic approach like this is important as it will focus on the long term. Simply raking up the moss or even applying a product to kill it is only going to be a temporary answer. The moss will simply keep returning.
At Limbwalker, we care deeply about the best interests of our clients. We’re not offering quick fixes to make a quick dollar. We’re here to help guide you toward the best choices for your lawn so that you can enjoy it for the long haul.
Your happiness is important to us and we are always available to help you troubleshoot problems.
Whether you have moss growing where you desire grass or there is something else going on with your lawn, we are here to help.
As your lawn care partner, we are here to help set you up for success. Are you ready to troubleshoot lawn problems at your Louisville, KY home? Get in touch with us to get a quote for our lawn care programs, which include three lawn care pricing options.
