The Greenhouseforum has been at the golf course and gives you advice on how to get rid of moss to get a nicer lawn

Moss and weeds seem to be the biggest pest on the plant front. Gardeners put out tons of different toxins in their gardens every year. Almost one half is used to control moss and the other half to control weeds. Only a small proportion constitutes toxins for controlling fungi and insects. However, the use of lawn rakers is declining, as many of them have become illegal to sell.

 

Do something yourself

You can easily get your lawn moss-free without any lawn rakers. In fact, most soils do not even tolerate lawn rakers. Too much iron in the soil prevents the uptake of other important elements such as magnesium. Remedies for moss are a kind of symptom treatment. Moss does not come because the soil lacks iron. The most common causes are too much shade, too much moisture or too little fertilizer. This is where you need to place your focus if you want to get rid of your moss.

 

Move focus

When moss thrives in the lawn, we typically focus on the moss, not the grass. But if you have moss in the lawn, you really need to focus more on your grass and make the grass thrive better than the moss.

 

What to do

Start by looking at how much shade your lawn gets. If it gets a lot, create light by thinning out between the trees. Trees tend to get bigger than planned, and because you see them grow slowly, you typically do not notice at all how much light they can actually steal.

 

The key is fertilizer

Some gardeners do not want to fertilize the grass because it then has to be mowed more frequently, but it is the fertilizer that is the main key to a healthy and good lawn without moss. If you can't mow the grass, let a robotic lawnmower do it. In addition, it comminates your grass so that you do not have to rake it up, but it is instead included as a contribution of natural fertilizer. Once a year, however, it is good to rake the lawn so withered grass, does not form an impenetrable membrane. At the same time, you also create air around the roots and tear away any signs of moss. Use a moss rake, as it goes more in-depth than a regular rake.

 

The Greenkeeper's choice

Greenkeepers know if anyone how to get a perfect lawn. Therefore, you can also buy the greenkeeper's secret fertilizer products. The secret is a mix of important micronutrients and a correct composition of fertilizer that especially develops a good root system as well as deep green healthy leaves. That is, most potassium (K) for the root, most nitrogen (N) for the green and less phosphorus (P), which especially benefits seeding. Depending on how you mix the products, you can even decide yourself how green your grass should be and how fast it should grow. The grass will enjoy it and the moss will hate it, yes even the greenkeeper will look enviously at your lawn.

Winter ready

In October, the grass prepares for winter. Here you need a special autumn fertilizer. Often the plants also need calcium. Calcium deficiencies typically occur during periods of heavy rainfall, and during periods of heavy growth. Most calcium supplements raise the pH level of the soil, which does not benefit the grass, but Biocalcium provides the right balance.

Lime or not

Instead of the greenkeepers’ fertilizer, which costs a little more, you can of course also use ordinary lawn fertilizers with or without lime, but do not use lime too often. Maybe the ground does not need it at all. Only a soil sample can really determine that.

 

Raking

If your lawn needs a lot of work, give it a go with a vertical cutter. It can be rented or bought. A vertical cutter cuts tangled grass, almost like when dividing perennials, and it gives the roots plenty of air. All moss will be torn up. The lawn will afterwards look like a waste in Russia but give it a layer of fertilizer afterwards and re-sow new seeds of good quality.