Garden moss problem ....... again

PGE1970

Hi all,

Please see attached photos of my "lawn".

You'll see that I have a significant moss problem. I spent a fortune on Mo Bacter about 3 years ago but it didn't work.

The problem now is that the moss is affecting my ride on mower, putting strain on the belts, drive motor, pulleys etc.

I was thinking about getting some Miracle Grown Evergree, that blackens the garden, then get a scarifier such as this:

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/wr6002-1500-32cm-raker-scarifier-230-240v/296fg

Then I'll hire an aerator for use with the ride on mower.

It is a big garden - about one third of an acre all in.

Am I mad? Any tips as I'm an amateur at this!!

Many thanks in advance.

magicbastarder

if you're having consistent issues with moss, i suspect you'll need to tackle the underlying cause rather than the symptoms. could be unfertile or damp compacted soil, or it could be a little too acidic. might be worth doing a soil pH test - you may need to aerate, as you mention, and possibly apply lime.
these won't kill the moss, but will make the lawn less hospitable for it.

I suppose you could see the moss as not a problem. Less mowing, more child friendly surface. Or mow less often; as above probably low fertility, so perfect for wildflowers.

To be honest, you could spend the rest of your days chasing the sterile dream, plenty of alternatives out there.

tophurler

PGE1970 wrote: »

Hi all,

I was thinking about getting some Miracle Grown Evergree, that blackens the garden, then get a scarifier such as this:

https://www.screwfix.ie/p/wr6002-1500-32cm-raker-scarifier-230-240v/296fg

I purchased the very same machine from SF OP, It had to be returned on first use, burnt out. If you have any size of grass area worth talking of it might not be up to the task.

PGE1970

tophurler wrote: »

I purchased the very same machine from SF OP, It had to be returned on first use, burnt out. If you have any size of grass area worth talking of it might not be up to the task.

Cheers. If I proceed, I might look to hire one that hitches to my ride on mower.

standardg60

Looks like you're creating tramlines by cutting in the same direction all the time OP, it's important to alternate the direction each cut to prevent creating ridges, which leads to uneven growth. The grass is being cut too short under the mower and not enough where the wheels run.
I'd cut in the opposite direction for the foreseeable to even it up, and raise the cutting height for now to avoid blocking the mower up (and encourage the grass to recover), and certainly a good application of fertilizer.

PGE1970

Greats tips Standard.

I'll do that. The mower is on its highest setting though.

Jim_Hodge

standardg60 wrote: »

Looks like you're creating tramlines by cutting in the same direction all the time OP, it's important to alternate the direction each cut to prevent creating ridges, which leads to uneven growth. The grass is being cut too short under the mower and not enough where the wheels run.
I'd cut in the opposite direction for the foreseeable to even it up, and raise the cutting height for now to avoid blocking the mower up (and encourage the grass to recover), and certainly a good application of fertilizer.

Fully agreed. I cut top to bottom, then next time left to right. Sometimes I'll even do a diagonal cut. It makes a huge difference . That grass seems to be cut too low, as well, which encourages moss.

standardg60

PGE1970 wrote: »

Greats tips Standard.

I'll do that. The mower is on its highest setting though.

You're welcome.

Are the tyre pressures up to near max?

PGE1970

I'll check the tyres.

Do you think that the tyres are too full or not enough?

Thanks again, really helpful advice.

standardg60

Low tyre pressure will obviously reduce the ride height, so worth checking and increasing if necessary

ismat

That looks a bit like my lawn was a couple of months ago 😬. I sprayed mine with sulphate of iron to kill the moss and then hired a scarifier and did the whole lawn twice. Probably have about the same area lawn as you possibly slightly bigger. I took an enormous amount of moss off it and luckily I had a place close by to dump it. Probably 60 - 70 large barrows of moss. The hired scarifier was petrol powered and the right tool of the job. Put a bag of fertiliser on it then so it’s starting to come back to life now. You are wasting your time with the electric scarifier unless you have a very small lawn

PGE1970

Thanks Ismat.

I'll have a look in the local hire shop for an "industrial" style scarifier.

blackbox

If you keep the blades sharp you will avoid straining the belts as long as you cut it regularly.

As suggested, cutting at different angles will definitely help. Tyres should be at around 15 psi.

I gave up the battle with moss many years ago!