What is the best way to get rid of patches off moss on lawns?

On Monday, March 20, 2017 at 5:05:39 PM UTC-5, wrote:

What is the best way to get rid of patches off moss on lawns?

Moss is due to not enough sunshine. But moss is lovely, like
walking on plush carpet.

On 03/20/2017 5:05 PM, wrote:

What is the best way to get rid of patches off moss on lawns?

While excess shade may be a contributing factor, many factors can cause
poor grass vitality and thus moss...excessively compacted soil, poor
drainage, too high or low soil pH, or simply poor soil in combination
with one or more of the above can lead to moss.

Poor lawn maintenance practices such as too-short mowing, over-watering
(combined with poor drainage/soil compaction/clay soils perhaps) can
also play a part. Lawn grasses need N; many soils are lacking or have
imbalanced pH such that it isn't available.

To get rid of the moss, find the underlying causes and fix them; else't
it'll simply come back.

On Monday, March 20, 2017 at 7:00:42 PM UTC-7, dpb wrote:
On 03/20/2017 5:05 PM, wrote:

What is the best way to get rid of patches off moss on lawns?

While excess shade may be a contributing factor, many factors can cause
poor grass vitality and thus moss...excessively compacted soil, poor
drainage, too high or low soil pH, or simply poor soil in combination
with one or more of the above can lead to moss.

Poor lawn maintenance practices such as too-short mowing, over-watering
(combined with poor drainage/soil compaction/clay soils perhaps) can
also play a part. Lawn grasses need N; many soils are lacking or have
imbalanced pH such that it isn't available.

To get rid of the moss, find the underlying causes and fix them; else't
it'll simply come back.

The main cause was a long wet winter.

On Tue, 21 Mar 2017 07:29:04 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Monday, March 20, 2017 at 7:00:42 PM UTC-7, dpb wrote:
On 03/20/2017 5:05 PM, wrote:

What is the best way to get rid of patches off moss on lawns?

While excess shade may be a contributing factor, many factors can cause
poor grass vitality and thus moss...excessively compacted soil, poor
drainage, too high or low soil pH, or simply poor soil in combination
with one or more of the above can lead to moss.

Poor lawn maintenance practices such as too-short mowing, over-watering
(combined with poor drainage/soil compaction/clay soils perhaps) can
also play a part. Lawn grasses need N; many soils are lacking or have
imbalanced pH such that it isn't available.

To get rid of the moss, find the underlying causes and fix them; else't
it'll simply come back.

The main cause was a long wet winter.

Look into adding Lime into the soil, if I'm correct. Sunshine is the
best cure in a shady area. Lime will help aerate the soil and allow
water to drain. I could be off, but investigate it for stopping moss.

On 03/21/2017 6:14 PM, Oren wrote:
....

Look into adding Lime into the soil, if I'm correct. Sunshine is the
best cure in a shady area. Lime will help aerate the soil and allow
water to drain. I could be off, but investigate it for stopping moss.

Don't until do pH test; could just be making it worse. Many soils
already have high pH values; adding limestone will make this pH go even
higher, adding to the lawn's problem.

Ferrous ammonium sulfate or ferric sulfate (iron sulfate) can be used to
control moss to some extent. The moss will temporarily burn away, but
tends to return fairly quickly unless underlying problems are solved .
Raking out moss is another option; usually followed by reseeding.

Modifying site conditions to favor lawn grasses and discourage moss is
the suggested way to manage the problem. Too much shade for acceptable
grass growth is a common underlying cause for moss invasion. Pruning
trees and shrubs to improve air circulation and light penetration is a
good starting point. Evaluate the site to make sure the proper
grass(es) for the conditions is(are) being used.

Take a good look at the soil conditions. A soil test can be helpful, as
it could be the soil pH is out of line, contributing to the problem.
Reduce soil compaction by core aerifying. This may also help correct
drainage problems; although serious drainage problems may require more
extensive work to correct.

(Why do I feel like I'm repeating previous advice/information? )

wrote:

What is the best way to get rid of patches off moss on lawns?

ignore it is by far the easiest.

what does it harm? nothing at all.

mow higher, use a mulching mower, do not
remove clippings, reseed with a more shade
tolerant grass and then top with a thin layer
of compost to encourage worms - best done in
the early to mid fall season (keep moist to
sprout and get established).

avoid harsh chemical fertilizers and poisons
which tend to kill off the worm population.


songbird

On Tuesday, March 21, 2017 at 5:27:06 PM UTC-7, dpb wrote:
On 03/21/2017 6:14 PM, Oren wrote:
...

Look into adding Lime into the soil, if I'm correct. Sunshine is the
best cure in a shady area. Lime will help aerate the soil and allow
water to drain. I could be off, but investigate it for stopping moss.

Don't until do pH test; could just be making it worse. Many soils
already have high pH values; adding limestone will make this pH go even
higher, adding to the lawn's problem.

Ferrous ammonium sulfate or ferric sulfate (iron sulfate) can be used to
control moss to some extent. The moss will temporarily burn away, but
tends to return fairly quickly unless underlying problems are solved .
Raking out moss is another option; usually followed by reseeding.

Modifying site conditions to favor lawn grasses and discourage moss is
the suggested way to manage the problem. Too much shade for acceptable
grass growth is a common underlying cause for moss invasion. Pruning
trees and shrubs to improve air circulation and light penetration is a
good starting point. Evaluate the site to make sure the proper
grass(es) for the conditions is(are) being used.

Take a good look at the soil conditions. A soil test can be helpful, as
it could be the soil pH is out of line, contributing to the problem.
Reduce soil compaction by core aerifying. This may also help correct
drainage problems; although serious drainage problems may require more
extensive work to correct.

(Why do I feel like I'm repeating previous advice/information? )

I will try what you have said and give you some feedback.