Moss & Thatch
Moss
Moss is a non flowering plant, belonging to a division of the plant kingdom known as the Bryophyta. Mosses can be found in a wide variety of situations, but on lawns they grow when grass growth is slow, the soil is wet, or there is high humidity. Excessive thatch on a lawn also provides the damp conditions on which moss thrives. When moss is present, it is often a sign that the grass in the lawn is not as healthy as it should be.
At GreenThumb we will investigate the cause of the moss growth, rather than simply tackle the moss which is present. This is because without addressing the cause, moss will simply reappear.
To tackle moss we will recommend the right course for you, which is likely to include restoring the health of the grass plant, hollow tine aeration and scarification.
For more information about moss, you can download our Moss Rule of Thumb.
Thatch
During the normal annual cycle of a lawn, even the healthiest ones accumulate large quantities of dead organic matter, usually in the form of grass clippings, which have not been removed. This organic matter will very quickly form a dense layer on the surface of the soil, and is known as thatch. Thatch reduces the amount of air and water into the soil which, as a consequence, results in a weakening of the grass plant and provides a perfect environment for the germination of moss.
To remove much of the thatch present in the lawn, we might recommend hollow tine aeration and/or scarification.
