Becky's Greenhouse
  • Home
  • BLOG: Gardening and You
  • Gardening Events
  • Flowers
  • About Us
  • Contact

I don't know if we have a problem here with moss in the garden and grass but if you do here is how to get rid of it....

11/20/2019

0 Comments

 
image from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
       ​Moss is not always considered a weed, but don't tell that to those who have tried to deal with it. Here's a recipe for getting rid of moss in a lawn with dish soap. It's safer than chemical pesticides and only a fraction of the cost. It sounds odd but it works and is used by turf professionals everywhere.
 
All About Moss 
Moss is a thick mat of tiny green leaves and threadlike stems growing on your lawn, bare soil, wood, rocks or any other surface where moist, shady conditions are present. Moss has very shallow roots and gets most of its food from the water washing over it. It is a primitive plant that reproduces by spores.
 
During the Cambrian period, about 540 million years ago, some early plants evolved from earlier algae that could live on land, outside of the water. These plants were like modern moss. All of the animals were still living in the water, so on land, there was only moss and mushrooms.
 
 Eradicating Moss 
Moss does not kill grass, but it is an indicator of poor conditions that need to be addressed for a lawn to be healthy and moss-free.
 
Moss does not grow well when there are high levels of iron in the soil. To get rid of the moss you can spread lawn moss killer, which usually contains some form of iron sulphate (ferrous sulphate or ferrous ammonium sulphate). You can add lime to the soil with a spreader to make the soil less acidic, which favors grass and is less favorable to moss. You can also rake out the moss and physically remove it from the lawn. Or, the moss can be eradicated using a simple solution of water and dish soap.
 
The problem is that none of these options work long term. Unless you fix the real underlying problems that are preventing the grass from growing well, the moss will soon return to the lawn.
 
Dish Soap as an Effective Moss Killer 
Mix 2 ounces of dish soap into 1 gallon of water in a garden hand sprayer. Most growers prefer Ultra Dawn liquid dish soap. Spray the mixture on the patches of moss. Holding the spray nozzle a couple of inches from the target, drench the moss with the solution. The patches of moss will turn orange/brown in 24 hours and eventually dry-up while the surrounding grass takes over.
 
To treat large areas, spray the mixture with a garden sprayer until there is a runoff. Use 4 ounces of dish soap per 2 gallons of water for every 1,000 square feet of lawn. Apply when the grass is moist and it is not going to rain within 24 hours of application.
 
Rake up the dead moss once it turns orange/brown. If more moss appears, repeat the treatment until it temporarily stops returning.
taken from https://www.thespruce.com/dish-soap-as-moss-killer-
till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Hi! My name is Becky and I am a Master Gardener. I own Becky's Greenhouse in Dougherty, Iowa.

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    Categories

    All
    Planting

Picture
Gardening and You Radio Show 
KLMJ every Saturday morning at 7:20 a.m., station 104.9, Hampton, IA
Becky's Greenhouse
80 South Main
Dougherty, IA 50433
Phone:  641-794-3337 
cell 641-903-9365
​
Larry's Garage
Shop: 641-794-3337
Cell: 641-318-2007
2023 Copyright
Gardening & You Blog
Contact
Radio Show Recordings
  • Home
  • BLOG: Gardening and You
  • Gardening Events
  • Flowers
  • About Us
  • Contact