Damp conditions lead to the growth of moss, which will turn destructive towards your lawn. It’s crucial to tackle this issue promptly because moss competes with grass for vital nutrients.
During autumn, it’s essential for lawns to be fertilised to store energy and remain robust against the impending frosty weather.
Failure to clear moss and weeds before winter can prevent grass from developing strong roots, resulting in weak, damaged turf come next year.
Robert Higgins, a lawn expert from Taylor Weed Control, has revealed that banishing moss is straightforward when you feed the soil with an iron supplement.
He shared: “Moss doesn’t fare well in iron-rich soil, which is great if you have high levels of iron in your soil.”
For those who need to supplement their lawn with iron, Mr Higgins suggested regular lawn moss killers.
Mr Higgins explained: “Most lawn moss killers contain iron sulphate, so a simple spray of any good moss-killing agent should provide more than enough iron to kill your moss.”
Iron sulfate effectively dehydrates moss, preventing the spores from drawing moisture from their surroundings, which causes them to be killed off.
It also hinders the moss from photosynthesising, starving it of energy and making it easy to rake away after it dies.
While lawn moss killers are effective, these products can be toxic to pets and wildlife. For a safer alternative, Mr Higgins recommended washing-up liquid, which contains surfactants capable of suffocating the moss spores.
A more natural moss deterrent is lime juice; its citric acid content dehydrates and breaks down the cell walls within moss, leading to its demise.
Mr Higgins added: “[Lime] will make the soil less acidic, which is more favourable to grass as well.”
The lawn expert assured that any of these methods will quickly kill moss, resulting in a healthier, lusher lawn that can better withstand winter conditions.
