Moss: A Plush Green Carpet or Unwanted Guest? Understanding Moss in Your Lawn

Imagine stepping outside onto your lush, green lawn. It's the perfect suburban oasis, a soft carpet beneath your feet, a symbol of your dedication to your home and a space where your family can gather and make memories. But wait, is that a patch of moss creeping into your idyllic lawn space? Moss can be a sign of deeper issues within your property, and it's a common challenge for homeowners trying to maintain that picture-perfect yard.

**Why Does Moss Love Wet Conditions?**

Moss thrives in damp, shaded environments. Lack of drainage/ excessive dampness, poor airflow/ lack of sunlight due to overhanging trees or structures such as buildings or fences, and a low soil pH (meaning more acidic soil) create the perfect conditions for moss to spread its velvety blanket across your lawn. While moss isn't all bad—it can provide a certain rustic charm—the reasons behind its appearance might signal some cultural issues that need addressing.

So why are we seeing so much moss this season than ever before? The excessive rains we have had for the past year has not allowed these areas to dry out, and has allowed for less sunlight as well. We've been seeing moss in full sun areas this spring! Additionally the mild winter without a deep freeze allowed the moss to continue to spread seemingly with slowing down. While we anticipate the full areas seeing a reduction in moss as the weather warms there are other things to consider:

**Common Misconceptions About Moss Removal**

There are a couple of myths floating around about moss removal that we need to clear up:

1. **Applying Lime to Kill Moss**: Many believe that sprinkling lime over moss-infested areas will solve the problem. Sadly, this isn't a quick fix. Lime can help adjust the pH level of your soil over time, but it doesn't directly kill moss. It's more of a long-term strategy, and results certainly won't happen overnight. Soil testing is required to ensure the proper amounts of lime are used and this is a multi year process.

2. **Raking Away the Moss**: Raking might remove the surface moss but think of it as plucking weeds without getting the roots—it's a temporary solution. To truly rid your lawn of moss, you'll need to address the underlying conditions that are allowing it to thrive.

3. **Chemical controls will solve the issue**- yes there are products that can be applied to dry the moss out and effectively kill it- then what? You are left with bare/ thin areas that need to be seeded so timing these applications with proper seeding times is important. Additionally if you don't correct the cultural issues such as lack of sunlight/ airflow you are only doing a short term fix

The solution? While there isn't anything you can do about the rain and lack of drying out you can correct drainage in very poor drainage areas. Correcting the airflow and sunlight issues are the most important steps to completely eradicate moss permanently. Additionally soil testing to correct pH as well as other deficiencies in the soil contributing to moss will ensure long term eradication of moss. Fingers crossed for drier weather! (but not too dry)