The problem

Moss occurs after lawns have been exposed to drought or waterlogging and it loves cool, moist growing conditions. Trees which shade the garden can also lead to moss forming in the shaded area. Moss is green or yellow green in appearance and can make the lawn feel very spongy to walk on. There could be many other causes as well such as poor aeration or drainage, over-mowing, overuse, lack of lawn feed, acidic soil conditions and more!

Getting rid of the moss is essential, but to prevent it from returning you must also ensure the lawn is well maintained.

The solution

We would recommend scarifying the lawn first to allow your moss treatment to penetrate further into the lawn. Start by removing debris from the lawn using a rake or scarifier – this can also be excellent exercise. Then apply a moss control to the lawn. These are our top 5 products for dealing with moss:

1. Evergreen Mosskill Lawn Food & Moss Control – £9.99 – £23.99

Miracle-Gro Evergreen Mosskill will feed and green the lawn, helping it to become thicker and healthier. It kills moss and greens in just 7 days. Moss will turn black and need raking after around two weeks. Recommended use between April and September.

Shop here: https://www.coolingsonline.co.uk/products/garden-care/lawn-care/evergreen-mosskill-lawn-food-and-moss-control.html

2. Green Force Lawn Feed, Weed & Mosskiller 750m² – £29.99

Providing perfect care for perfect laws! This product should be used on a dry day when soil is moist and not applied for 4 days before mowing and 3 days after. Weeds will start to die after a few days and moss will blacken and need to be raked out after two weeks.

Shop here: https://www.coolingsonline.co.uk/products/garden-care/lawn-care/green-force-lawn-feed-weed-and-mosskiller-750m2.html

3. Miracle Gro Evergreen No Rake Moss Remover Lawn Food – £16.99 – £39.99

Naturally occurring bacteria ‘eats’ the dead moss, meaning that it does not need raking up. It has a slow release fertiliser to help feed the lawn for up to three months and prevent moss redeveloping. It has extra magnesium to make your lawn really green.  
Shop here: https://www.coolingsonline.co.uk/products/garden-care/lawn-care/miracle-gro-evergreen-no-rake-moss-remover-lawn-food.html

4. Viano MO Bacter Organic Lawn Fertiliser and Moss Killer – £24.99 – £43.99

This granular organic fertiliser rids your lawn of moss as well as feeding grass and improving soil. It will destroy moss without leaving any of the unsightly black debris. The dead moss is digested by the bacteria leaving your lawn looking healthier.

Shop here: https://www.coolingsonline.co.uk/products/garden-care/lawn-care/viano-mo-bacter-organic-lawn-fertiliser-and-moss-killer.html

Preventing Moss

Once you have worked hard to remove moss from your lawn, you will obviously want to stop it from coming back! These are our top tips for ensuring that moss doesn’t make a comeback:

• Ensure that your lawn is well fed in order to ensure it is thicker and healthier; this will also help it to be tougher through the Winter months.
• Aerating the lawn can help to prevent moss as it will provide better drainage and prevent waterlogging.
• Once aerated the holes can be filled with sharp sand in order to prevent the soil filling them back in.
• Avoid mowing the lawn too short.
• In Autumn and Winter, ensure that wet leaves are removed from the lawn so that moisture isn’t trapped.