THE bank holiday weekend is an ideal time to tackle your garden.
And for many homeowners, moss will be popping up here and there amongst the lawn.
Fabulous spoke exclusively to Chris McIlroy of The Grass People and Timothy Greene of iCANLAWN about the best way to get rid of moss in your lawn.
Chris said: “Moss is a very small nonflowering plant that can give lawns an uneven colour and surface.
“It’s usually green but not always, so it’s important not to be complacent. Loose moss will often feel spongy when walking across it.”
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Timothy added: “Moss growth is usually a sign that conditions on your lawn are not ideal for grass growth and that the seeds you have sown haven’t had much success.
“It can be a sign of shallow, rocky soils, excessive moisture, acidic soil and poor fertility.
“However, it doesn’t kill off your grass, contrary to what many people believe.”
As for how to get rid of it, Chris said: “Finding the best way to rid your lawn of moss depends on whether it’s a new lawn or it’s well established.
For a lawn under six months old, I wouldn’t recommend using moss-killer products.
“Instead, use a scarifier to score the soil around three millimeters and loosen and remove the moss, before reseeding with grass once complete.
“For more established lawns, use a moss killer product such as our Feed, Weed and Moss Killer to stop it spreading to a larger area.
“It makes the moss shrink and die off, while existing grass will become vibrant and green so you know exactly where to reseed with more grass.”
When removing moss, you might also come across the odd weed or too, the experts also revealed how to get rid of weeds.
Chris said: “Weeds can be a real nuisance for gardeners, but they can be dealt with promptly and effectively.
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“In the UK, some of the most common garden weeds include couch grass and poa annua, also known as annual meadow grass.
“Different weeds have different characteristics, so it’s important to be aware of what to look out for and how to deal with them.”
Chris continued: “There are two options for removing weeds from your grass.
“You can either manually dig out the weeds or apply a chemical weed killer.
“You can use both methods if your lawn is more than six months old but do not use a Feed, Weed and Moss Killer on a newly seeded lawn.
“To dig out, we can use techniques such as aerating and scarifying the lawn or digging out the weeds with a spade and patching with grass seed.”
After removing moss and weeds, now it’s time to turn your attention to getting your grass as green and healthy as possible in time for summer.
Timothy said: “It’s very important to keep a good lawn care regime, removing loose debris and weeds and aerating it if needs it.
“Overseeding now is also a good idea if you want to have lush green grass in time for summer.
“What that means is spreading grass seeds over your existing lawn, after cutting it a little shorter than usual.
“Finally, maintaining a good feeding regime throughout the year will maximise your chances of having a pristine lawn come summertime.”
