How to Kill Moss With Natural Methods
Moss is an opportunistic plant that will establish itself anywhere where it can find shade or moisture. And moss can be a difficult plant to be rid of. You can physically remove it or spray it with chemical concoctions, but it will soon crop back up as long as conditions remain ideal. The best way to kill moss for good is by using natural methods. If you change the environment where it thrives, you can prevent it from cropping up again.
Physically remove the moss. Moss can simply be raked off of the lawn. For concrete, tile and other hard surfaces, douse the mossy area with boiling water. Then use a scrub brush dipped in a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water to scrub it away. The boiling water kills the moss while the vinegar will clean away the organic matter and dirt that the moss needs to adhere itself to hard surfaces.
- Moss is an opportunistic plant that will establish itself anywhere where it can find shade or moisture.
- You can physically remove it or spray it with chemical concoctions, but it will soon crop back up as long as conditions remain ideal.
Expose the mossy area to the sunlight. Trim any overhanging branches and move the shed and consider replacing your wooden fence with a chain link one. Sunlight is one of the most effective moss killers and preventives out there.
Troubleshoot your lawn in the areas where moss needed to be removed. Excessive moss growth is often a sign that your grass is under the weather. Plant more shade-resistant varieties in shady patches of your lawn. Research the fertilization rates and mowing height for your grass variety to make sure that it is adequately fed and cared for.
- Expose the mossy area to the sunlight.
- Troubleshoot your lawn in the areas where moss needed to be removed.
Test your soil. It may be too acidic or sandy, conditions that moss loves. In either case, amend the soil appropriately.
Kill Moss In Dirt
Spray the moss with a chemical moss killer containing iron sulfate, copper sulfate or ferrous ammonium sulfate as active ingredients. Mix 3 ounces of liquid iron sulfate or ferrous ammonium sulfate with 5 gallons of water, which is enough to cover 1,000 square feet of your yard. Fill the tank of a garden pump sprayer with your chosen mixture, and spray it evenly over the moss. Check the soil pH underneath the moss using a home pH test kit. Run it over the area two to three times, pulling out finger-sized plugs each time. Rake your yard to dethatch it. This removes the layer of grass clippings and other decomposing vegetation that sits on top of the soil. Increasing the amount of sunlight can kill the moss and encourage your grass to take over. Water other areas of your yard but avoid watering mossy areas. Moss needs damp conditions to survive, so keep the area as dry as possible to help kill the moss.
- It may be too acidic or sandy, conditions that moss loves.
- Check the soil pH underneath the moss using a home pH test kit.
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Writer Bio
Based in Houston, Texas, Meg Butler is a professional farmer, house flipper and landscaper. When not busy learning about homes and appliances she's sharing that knowledge. Butler began blogging, editing and writing in 2000. Her work has appered in the "Houston Press" and several other publications. She has an A.A. in journalism and a B.A. in history from New York University.
