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Many residential property owners attempting to eliminate moss from their lawn don’t realize that moss plants are signs that you presently have less than perfect conditions for growing grass. So, learning how to get rid of moss isn’t your issue. The possible reasons why you have moss in your yard are: 

  • Excessive shade
  • Poor drainage
  • Absence of much-needed nutrients in the soil
  • Low soil pH

You have to realize that the task of eliminating moss from your landscape has just started when you remove the specific patch of moss sprouting in your lawn currently. You have to follow up that first removal with some probing. You have to decide why moss is growing on your property in the first place.

If you don’t discover the possible reasons behind the issue, a new moss patch will take the old one.

 

How to Get Rid of Moss: Home Remedies

Mechanicsburg Tree Service get rid of moss

Maple leaves on moss

How do you get rid of the moss growing on your lawn? Some people use dishwashing soap or baking soda. 

For instance, some Mechanicsburg, PA tree experts advise filling a garden sprayer with 2 gallons of lukewarm water and putting it in one box of baking soda. Other tree professionals suggest mixing Dawn Ultra dish soap and water in a garden sprayer. However, these suggestions are just temporary fixes. You must perform an investigation into the root cause of the issue.

 

Eliminating Moss Permanently

If the soil beneath your grass doesn’t adequately drain and keeps excess moisture, this condition could entice moss. Water tends to filter slowly through clay soils, leading to puddling. Fortunately, there is an easy test you could do to determine what soil type you have. 

Of course, if you see stagnant water somewhere in your landscape after a spring rain, that is proof you have a drainage problem. If the clay is the root of your issue, change the soil to make it crumblier.

Some homeowners intent on eliminating moss need to be concentrating on getting rid of thatch. A thick sheet of thatch could stop water from moving well through the soil. The procedure for eliminating thatch is dethatching.

 

Moss and Excessive Shade

Lastly, getting rid of moss in a lawn could be a matter of tackling an excessive shade problem. Unlike the other issues discussed in this article, at least this issue is intuitive. Even a lawn rookie knows the concept of “shade.” There is a couple of ways to tackle the problem:

  • Grow some shade-tolerant grass 
  • Open up the spot to more sunlight with tree removal or take some of the more significant limbs off

Moss is resourceful and will sometimes sprout in lawn spots left bare because the grass isn’t right for shady conditions. Therfore, the answer to your issue of eliminating moss might be as easy as changing grass types. For example, tall fescue grass is a shade-tolerant grass.

To find out more about getting rid of moss or choosing the right grass for your lawn, call us at Mechanicsburg Tree Service.