Garden Q&A: What is the best treatment for moss?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions

Many products promise 'lawn nirvana', says Peter Dowdall whose advice is to be careful as we are often conditioned to regard moss as a problem. File pictures

I have a lot of moss in my garden (like a carpet). What would you recommend as a treatment for it?

ANSWER

There are many different products out there encouraging you to spend your money and many are promising "lawn nirvana" —but my advice is to tread carefully. 

In the first instance take time to ask yourself a few questions. Is the moss a problem? Is it that you don't like it?

Or is it that we may feel we are programmed now to see moss as a problem?

You might be quite happy with just a green patch, in which case the moss will do fine. If that’s not your style, however, and you want more of a "proper lawn", then good and regular lawn maintenance is key.

Scarify once a year to physically remove moss and thatch from the soil surface which will lead to more air circulation at soil level and better grass growth as a result. 

Maintain a slightly alkaline pH in the soil of the lawn as moss cannot tolerate this and good grass growth needs it. 

Scarify your lawn.

Be aware that many of the lawncare and moss-removal products available are based on sulphate of iron which is counter-productive because while it will kill moss at the same time it will lower the pH of the soil creating optimal conditions for moss to regrow and less than optimum conditions for good grass growth.

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