Ask John Negus
John will reply personally to all your gardening questions every week
How can we beat our moss menace?
Q We have a large rural garden with a large lawn that is being taken over by moss. Is there a good solution, other than scarifying and killing the invading moss?
Anne Bull, Ledbury, Herefordshire
A Moss tends to be a problem on lawns that are shaded for a good part of the day, and on lawns where drainage is poor due to compaction. A moss killer will give you a short-term fix, though it may look unsightly for a few weeks. The best thing to do is to find out why the moss is becoming established and change the prevailing conditions. If shade is the problem, improving light levels over the lawn will be of benefit. Otherwise it might be a good idea to re-seed these areas with seed specifically designed for shade – these grasses will be more competitive with the moss and should win out.
If high moisture levels or poor aeration are the likely causes, there are several things you can do. Now is a good time to aerate and scarify the lawn. Scarifying will help to remove dead plant material from the lawn, so the soil and grass can breathe more easily.
