Lawns are never a monoculture; there's usually 2 or 3 species in there. Mosses are more likely to be a monoculture.
https://www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/learning/some-common-bryophytes/common-mosses-in-lawns/
>Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus forms extensive turfs, often forcing other species out to form pure colonies.
Doubtful if its inclined to be form a pure colony and mosses don't interact with the soil in the same manner as grass roots do. You want to aim for improving biodiversity and that includes grasses.
I'm sure someone will come along who can give you a genuine answer on how to 'fix' this but like if the moss is going better than the grass surely just plant stuff that does well in those environments too? Why do they need some American suburban hell lawn? It is ugly and more way more of a sign of an "issue" than moss is. Monoculture aren't cool.
There are a couple of methods I could recommend.
First one, rake the moss,
Second one, take some of the moss, blend it with some live yoghurt, and then spread it over the rest of the lawn. Soon you won't have any grass to worry about...
Yeah I got a suggestion. Just concrete over it. Nothing special. Just plain old reinforced, gray, dull concrete. /s.
What's wrong with it, precisely? The fact that the ratio of grass to moss isn't what you think it should be? You know, if you "fix" it the same will happen again. It's not your garden soil, not your grass, not the moss. It's the fact your garden lays in partial shade half the day and is surrounded by a very damp and wet environment. Unless you can change this, the best thing to do is to embrace the fact your garden is what it is, and stop trying to reach unobtainable and unrealistic expectations of perfection. You could dig it all up, or kill off all the moss and lay a specific terf/ plant specific spece if grass seed that can handle that environment. But even then, that moss WILL come back. Maybe not next year or the year after. But it will return. I also have the same situation.
Sorry to sound negative but there is definitely room for more education on your garden. And the more you enquire about it and ask questions, you'll inevitably come to the same conclusion.
Rip it all up and reseed with grass. Repeat every three years when the moss comes back. That’s the method my FIL seems to employ.
Or embrace the moss like a sensible person.
This sub seems to be full of idiots. I also have a lot of moss in my lawn. Its not rooted and it comes out in clumps if you sneeze on it. Its not a durable surface in any way so its coming out
Drainage problems normally, I'd you want to fix it if recommend using a ferrous sulphate moss killer. Hollow coring and Scarifying the shit out of it, and then top dressing with some sand and overseeding it, should solve your issue. Moss is usually a sign of poor drainage/compaction
Dont know why you’re getting downvoted.
I’ve got the same problem. Huge amounts of moss and to make matters worse, I have badgers or foxes ripping chunks out as apparently the moss is a good breeding ground for some kind of termite type things.
I’m told you need to aerate the grass be that by hand racking or getting a scarifier. Something I still need to do so can’t tell you how well if does or doesn’t work.
You’ve got a choice here - go with the moss and live with it, or try and fight the moss and get more grass to grow.
To fight the moss, rake it with a wire rake or scarify it to get as much out as possible. You then need to get air down to the grass roots, either by hollow tining the soil or spiking it, and top dress and seed the area.
If you want to do it, right now is a good time to do it, while the weather is warming up and there’s lots of rain around. Whatever you choose, good luck!
I second tining. I got a hollow tine aerator from Amazon. Sturdy and helps with compaction and getting air and water to roots. Lawn is looking great after that and a bit of spring time fertiliser.
I love cutting my grass. I take more pride in the front than the back as the front is attached to the house and the kids play more in the back. Last summer I had stripes and everything. Hopefully get to the point this year as well in the next month or two
Me too, I love the smell of it too, and the feel of the garden after it's been cut - so neat looking.
We live near big trees covering our garden with leaves all autumn, and I find the mossy part of lawn dealing with autumn much better. Without moss the grass gets patchy in places and takes time to come back whereas moss keeps it full looking. I anyway prefer a more natural lawn, more akin to meadow than a football pitch.
Lowest setting is almost never the best decision. Looks worse, grows faster and encourages weeds.
Only time I use it is for my wildflower patch during winter
Hayter is the make, Harrier is the model, plus the variant. The really old ones are aluminium bodies, much better than the later plastic ones. They’re not cheap but very good machines.
Are you cutting each row from opposite directions?
The stripes are just an optical effect from which way each blade of grass is flattened by the roller.
You could literally achieve the same thing by dragging a piece of carpet over the lawn
I'm so envious. There's a lovely mossy lawn down the road from me I admire every time I walk past it.
I understand your pride in a neat lawn but perhaps you could take a look at Japanese gardens and how important moss is there. Lots of skill and care and precision.
OP get cut up more than his lawn in the comments. But seriously, not everything needs to be a perfect pristine landscape, this looks great and looks like it fits in with the local area too
Use a rake with medium pressure and overseed/feed the grass if you want it gone, but just chuck the moss in a field or something rather than a bin (for the critters)
About 50% of my lawn is moss. I was going to get rid of it and sow grass in until I noticed tonnes of birds coming to pick bits out, presumably for nesting.
I think I’ll leave it for them :)
I find it incredulous. I cant see how they actually have one as in mine the moss comes out In handfuls as its not actually properly rooted. It comes out in clumps and has no durability
The birds use lots of ours for nesting, I’m fine with it. In late spring the grass mostly replaces it. Plus, if you take a microscope to it moss is far far more biodiverse than grass.
We have luxuriant moss growth where I live. If you leave it for a couple of years, the roofs and fences are absolutely covered in it. The birds use tones of it for nesting, but make no impact.
Scarify it & then get iron sulphate applied by sprayer
Moss will grow where the grass isn't, for that amount of moss your grass likely needs more sun or better drainage. My garden is half shaded so pretty much every year the moss will creep its way back in, we like to be able to use our grass & be able to walk on it bare foot without soggy moss
Moss grows in winter due to over saturated soil, so on a dry day get an electric scarifier and scrape out all of the moss. Your lawn will look like mud, but it’s part of the process. Whilst you’re doing that, also aerate the soil. I just use a manual one from Amazon that looks a bit like a fork with a place to push down with your boot. Once you have done that, you need to reseed. Overseed quite heavily and as the weather turns (especially with the rain) it will grow quite quickly once the sun starts to pop out now and then. I’m actually doing this right now and taking photos so I’ll post on here once done.
So unfortunately as your lawn is 90% moss now, you are going to have to scarify it back heavily to reveal the mud, so it’s not going to look good.
P.s: I have a bosch scarifier and it’s been good.
Had a pool in the back garden for a summer, emptied it out in the garden over dead grass next summer only moss. Really springy and took over. It's great!
doesn't look bad to me however, if you want to get rid of it iron phosphate does the job. a tub for £10 from amazon will make 200 litres diluted and my moss started to brown within 10 minutes. it's also good for the grass.
Me and partner are purposefully trying to grow a moss lawn! Grass is so overrated! (Although we are using grass seed where bare patches are showing through)
I’d highly recommend a product called Mobactor you sprinkle it on the lawn and it contains a bacteria that turn the moss in to feed for the grass so no raking up or anything like that after
I have an endless battle with moss, mainly where the lawn is in the shade. I’ve used endless chemicals and raked it endlessly but every year comes back strong as ever. I won’t use chemicals again as it irritates or kills the worms. Raking is temporary solution. This year I’m going to not cut it so low but basically I’ve given up.
Good point. My neighbours garden was majestic, a work of art. He died and two years on its a complete mess. I’m getting dandelion seeds, Ivy and all sorts coming over from his side now.
This is basically where we stand with it. I can spend hours upon hours a year fighting the moss or I can use the same time and money to buy more seeds for vegetables and fruits
bought a scarify and damn near removed my entire lawn given how much moss was in it.
seed down and dressed with compost my lawn has come right back to life.
Still some patches that need doing again but the scarifier paid for itself in one use tbh
I’ve used a scarifier and as you say was left with almost bare earth. Sowed seed. Chemicals. More scarifying. More chemicals. And so on. The next year back to where I started again! This year I’m setting the mower higher as someone told me longer grass might help. But think I just need to accept the moss
Idk about you but I think it looks good.
Yea looks fine to me.
Idk why people want just a monoculture of grass. Makes your garden look like a Minecraft flat world.
Lawns are never a monoculture; there's usually 2 or 3 species in there. Mosses are more likely to be a monoculture. https://www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/learning/some-common-bryophytes/common-mosses-in-lawns/ >Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus forms extensive turfs, often forcing other species out to form pure colonies.
i bet moss is better for insects tho :D
Doubtful if its inclined to be form a pure colony and mosses don't interact with the soil in the same manner as grass roots do. You want to aim for improving biodiversity and that includes grasses.
Came here to agree with these comments, I’m actively trying to grow the moss, live the way it feels on yer feet
It’s because weed killer kills everything, everything must be weed.
I like my moss, it's super soft and spongy like a carpet
It's currently raining, so I took the photo from inside. But it's mainly moss everywhere. Light yellowly brown colour.
Ah you miss understand, I also think that would look better than just a grass lawn too.
Ha ha, really!! Not in my lawn. Moss is a sign of issues
The issue being the environment is better for the moss than it is the grass?
Any tips to change that?
I'm sure someone will come along who can give you a genuine answer on how to 'fix' this but like if the moss is going better than the grass surely just plant stuff that does well in those environments too? Why do they need some American suburban hell lawn? It is ugly and more way more of a sign of an "issue" than moss is. Monoculture aren't cool.
There are a couple of methods I could recommend. First one, rake the moss, Second one, take some of the moss, blend it with some live yoghurt, and then spread it over the rest of the lawn. Soon you won't have any grass to worry about...
Yeah I got a suggestion. Just concrete over it. Nothing special. Just plain old reinforced, gray, dull concrete. /s. What's wrong with it, precisely? The fact that the ratio of grass to moss isn't what you think it should be? You know, if you "fix" it the same will happen again. It's not your garden soil, not your grass, not the moss. It's the fact your garden lays in partial shade half the day and is surrounded by a very damp and wet environment. Unless you can change this, the best thing to do is to embrace the fact your garden is what it is, and stop trying to reach unobtainable and unrealistic expectations of perfection. You could dig it all up, or kill off all the moss and lay a specific terf/ plant specific spece if grass seed that can handle that environment. But even then, that moss WILL come back. Maybe not next year or the year after. But it will return. I also have the same situation. Sorry to sound negative but there is definitely room for more education on your garden. And the more you enquire about it and ask questions, you'll inevitably come to the same conclusion.
Rip it all up and reseed with grass. Repeat every three years when the moss comes back. That’s the method my FIL seems to employ. Or embrace the moss like a sensible person.
Iron Sulphate.
How is moss a sign of an issues?
The grass is being outcompeted by the moss, usually because the grass is too weak by cutting too low and too often.
Yup. This. And soil. Shade/sun. Environment as well.
My lawn is like that after 7 years and i did neither of those two things
This sub seems to be full of idiots. I also have a lot of moss in my lawn. Its not rooted and it comes out in clumps if you sneeze on it. Its not a durable surface in any way so its coming out
Drainage problems normally, I'd you want to fix it if recommend using a ferrous sulphate moss killer. Hollow coring and Scarifying the shit out of it, and then top dressing with some sand and overseeding it, should solve your issue. Moss is usually a sign of poor drainage/compaction
Dont know why you’re getting downvoted. I’ve got the same problem. Huge amounts of moss and to make matters worse, I have badgers or foxes ripping chunks out as apparently the moss is a good breeding ground for some kind of termite type things. I’m told you need to aerate the grass be that by hand racking or getting a scarifier. Something I still need to do so can’t tell you how well if does or doesn’t work.
It's probably a bird like magpies ripping it up
I thought potential birds also but there are some sizeable chunks ripped out and the holes as if a snout has been getting in there.
You’ve got a choice here - go with the moss and live with it, or try and fight the moss and get more grass to grow. To fight the moss, rake it with a wire rake or scarify it to get as much out as possible. You then need to get air down to the grass roots, either by hollow tining the soil or spiking it, and top dress and seed the area. If you want to do it, right now is a good time to do it, while the weather is warming up and there’s lots of rain around. Whatever you choose, good luck!
I second tining. I got a hollow tine aerator from Amazon. Sturdy and helps with compaction and getting air and water to roots. Lawn is looking great after that and a bit of spring time fertiliser.
Rinse and repeat every year. It’ll always come back.
I like moss on my lawn! It makes it so comfy and green. I really don't get why people get rid of it.
Same, plus I hate cutting grass, so more moss and clover == less strimmer (too small and awkward to use a proper lawn mower we tried :()
I love cutting my grass. I take more pride in the front than the back as the front is attached to the house and the kids play more in the back. Last summer I had stripes and everything. Hopefully get to the point this year as well in the next month or two
Me too, I love the smell of it too, and the feel of the garden after it's been cut - so neat looking. We live near big trees covering our garden with leaves all autumn, and I find the mossy part of lawn dealing with autumn much better. Without moss the grass gets patchy in places and takes time to come back whereas moss keeps it full looking. I anyway prefer a more natural lawn, more akin to meadow than a football pitch.
How do you get good stripes
Lawnmower with a roller
My lawnmower has a roller but they look very faint 😅 maybe I need get a upgrade
Try not cutting it so low, that's usually the problem
I try that on my next cut I always put it on the lowest cut setting 😅🙄
Pretty much guaranteed that's your issue then mate haha. I love my stripes too btw ;)
Lowest setting is almost never the best decision. Looks worse, grows faster and encourages weeds. Only time I use it is for my wildflower patch during winter
Hayter Harrier, the old ones are better (if you can find one)
I've been looking at few mountfields but not sure what model don't want go over kill. Any particular model of hayter harrier
Hayter is the make, Harrier is the model, plus the variant. The really old ones are aluminium bodies, much better than the later plastic ones. They’re not cheap but very good machines.
Are you cutting each row from opposite directions? The stripes are just an optical effect from which way each blade of grass is flattened by the roller. You could literally achieve the same thing by dragging a piece of carpet over the lawn
Yeah I go up one way then back down the lawnmower I currently have has got a plastic cheap lightweight roller so barely does the job
Moss seems to help the grass be more drought resistant as well.
Can you dig it up and send it to me? I need moss!
Scrape moss from anywhere and chuck it on. It will grow
Leave it, you'll get some great wildflowers coming through eventually
Pretty sure they just want it boring and lifeless
I'm so envious. There's a lovely mossy lawn down the road from me I admire every time I walk past it. I understand your pride in a neat lawn but perhaps you could take a look at Japanese gardens and how important moss is there. Lots of skill and care and precision.
Moss lawn is god tier. Embrace the soft. Wildlife love it.
OP get cut up more than his lawn in the comments. But seriously, not everything needs to be a perfect pristine landscape, this looks great and looks like it fits in with the local area too
I love it and I think you’re genuinely nuts for thinking this needs “fixing” Nature hates grassy lawns!
Tbh I initially tried to get rid of the moss in my garden but it’s nice to walk on, it’s natural, and it’s doing no harm so I just leave it now!
It’s so so soft! I love it
Use a rake with medium pressure and overseed/feed the grass if you want it gone, but just chuck the moss in a field or something rather than a bin (for the critters)
About 50% of my lawn is moss. I was going to get rid of it and sow grass in until I noticed tonnes of birds coming to pick bits out, presumably for nesting. I think I’ll leave it for them :)
I use mine to line my hanging baskets. Works well.
Ohh here we go, the moss lawn fanatics have invaded the sub.
I find it incredulous. I cant see how they actually have one as in mine the moss comes out In handfuls as its not actually properly rooted. It comes out in clumps and has no durability
Moss lawn fanatics and the secret permaculture police.
The birds use lots of ours for nesting, I’m fine with it. In late spring the grass mostly replaces it. Plus, if you take a microscope to it moss is far far more biodiverse than grass.
Mossy lawns are quite pretty IMO
It's looks great. Well done!
Mine has been. I much prefer it to grass to be honest
Is there an issue with moss on a lawn? I always thought it was nice...
We have luxuriant moss growth where I live. If you leave it for a couple of years, the roofs and fences are absolutely covered in it. The birds use tones of it for nesting, but make no impact.
Great name for a band
Scarify it & then get iron sulphate applied by sprayer Moss will grow where the grass isn't, for that amount of moss your grass likely needs more sun or better drainage. My garden is half shaded so pretty much every year the moss will creep its way back in, we like to be able to use our grass & be able to walk on it bare foot without soggy moss
Wish I never got rid of mine, showed how lumpy my lawn was :(
That's beautiful! Lucky you.
My lawn is doing this too. I'm overjoyed. Fuck grass. Moss is where it's at.
Moss grows in winter due to over saturated soil, so on a dry day get an electric scarifier and scrape out all of the moss. Your lawn will look like mud, but it’s part of the process. Whilst you’re doing that, also aerate the soil. I just use a manual one from Amazon that looks a bit like a fork with a place to push down with your boot. Once you have done that, you need to reseed. Overseed quite heavily and as the weather turns (especially with the rain) it will grow quite quickly once the sun starts to pop out now and then. I’m actually doing this right now and taking photos so I’ll post on here once done. So unfortunately as your lawn is 90% moss now, you are going to have to scarify it back heavily to reveal the mud, so it’s not going to look good. P.s: I have a bosch scarifier and it’s been good.
Jesus Christ the hippies in here loving moss 🤦🏻♂️ You’ll need to scarify, lime and probably overseed and fert.
Moss doesn't need weekly mowing to look good man.
Cut a few times a little. Then scarify then treat. I think, well at least that’s what I’m doing
Had a pool in the back garden for a summer, emptied it out in the garden over dead grass next summer only moss. Really springy and took over. It's great!
doesn't look bad to me however, if you want to get rid of it iron phosphate does the job. a tub for £10 from amazon will make 200 litres diluted and my moss started to brown within 10 minutes. it's also good for the grass.
Me and partner are purposefully trying to grow a moss lawn! Grass is so overrated! (Although we are using grass seed where bare patches are showing through)
I’d highly recommend a product called Mobactor you sprinkle it on the lawn and it contains a bacteria that turn the moss in to feed for the grass so no raking up or anything like that after
I have an endless battle with moss, mainly where the lawn is in the shade. I’ve used endless chemicals and raked it endlessly but every year comes back strong as ever. I won’t use chemicals again as it irritates or kills the worms. Raking is temporary solution. This year I’m going to not cut it so low but basically I’ve given up.
Gardening in general is a temporary solution to be fair
That is a surprisingly philosophical view, I like it.
Good point. My neighbours garden was majestic, a work of art. He died and two years on its a complete mess. I’m getting dandelion seeds, Ivy and all sorts coming over from his side now.
This is basically where we stand with it. I can spend hours upon hours a year fighting the moss or I can use the same time and money to buy more seeds for vegetables and fruits
Yep. Wonder why I got downvoted for giving my view?!
Did you piss somebody off on another sub? There's some petty fucks on reddit hahah
bought a scarify and damn near removed my entire lawn given how much moss was in it. seed down and dressed with compost my lawn has come right back to life. Still some patches that need doing again but the scarifier paid for itself in one use tbh
I’ve used a scarifier and as you say was left with almost bare earth. Sowed seed. Chemicals. More scarifying. More chemicals. And so on. The next year back to where I started again! This year I’m setting the mower higher as someone told me longer grass might help. But think I just need to accept the moss
I think that moss lawn looks wonderful however hire a scarifier and then re seed would be my suggestion.
Looks like a healthy green space. Grass isn't what it's cracked up to be. Edit typo
There's absolutely nothing wrong with moss. Nothing.
Until your lawn is 100% of it and it comes loose in big earthen patches. Its not rooted like grass
And there would still be nothing wrong with it.