MOSS REMOVAL

When removing moss, you want to ensure that you get the maximum impact but also allow the lawn to recover from the treatment. 

Take a read of the steps to follow below:

1. Plan the Timing

You want to ensure you are carrying out the removal at the correct time, which is during the growing season, but avoiding the summer. So, stick to:

• Late March
• April
• May
• August
• September

If you want to remind updates on when you can remove moss, sign up to the Lawn Club.

2. Apply Iron Sulphate

Iron sulphate is a product which hardens your lawn and also kills moss. Because of legislative reasons, it shall not always be advertised as such, but don’t worry about that!

Iron sulphate is a granular treatment which is mixed with water and then applied with a sprayer, so take a look at different sprayers. The instructions for the product will explain how much to apply per square metre, so follow these or check out the iron sulphate application guide. 

Make sure to apply the iron sulphate to the whole lawn rather than just the areas which appear to have moss; this is for 2 reasons. Firstly, moss may well be throughout your whole lawn despite not being able to see it, so it is best to cover the whole lawn. Secondly, the iron sulphate can adjust the pH of your lawn and it is best to ensure the pH is consistent throughout the lawn. 

3. Leave it

This bit is easy - leave it alone to kill the moss! When applying iron sulphate, it will start to turn black quickly - in fact, you may see it change colour whilst applying it. 

Make sure you leave it to work for 7-10 days though.

Moss - Before Applying Iron Sulphate

Dead Moss - 7 days after Applying Iron Sulphate

4. Rake/Scarify it

Now that the moss is dead, you want to remove this. To do this, you want to rake or scarify the lawn and pull the dead material out. Be sure to do this on a dry day to minimise any damage to the lawn. 

5. Mow it

If you have raked rather than scarified the lawn, you will want to mow the lawn so that it picks up all the dead moss from the lawn. It is really important to remove the moss so that the spores do not spread and start growing again

6. Re-seeding

In general, moss will grow quickly and grow in large patches, so you will now have gaps in your lawn. If you fail to re-seed, your lawn will be looking rather sparse and there is a high probability that the moss will return in those gaps. So to prevent this, we will want to re-seed those spots or overseed the whole lawn.