How to get rid of moss in your lawn

"Moss creeping across a lawn, thriving in shady, damp conditions and competing with grass for nutrients."

Why moss grows in lawns:

One of the main culprits is excess moisture in the lawn – creating perfect conditions for moss to grow, as it is 90% water. Presence of moss can sometimes suggest underlying lawn issues.

Here are some common causes, and how to get rid of lawn moss – show the moss who’s boss!

PROBLEM: Excess thatch

• Thatch is a layer of dead/dying organic matter below the visible grass
• Moss loves thatch - it stores a lot of moisture, creating the ideal conditions in which moss grows

SOLUTION: Scarification

The best way to remove thatch, as well as dehydrated moss

PROBLEM: Too much moisture

• Moss thrives in wet soils with poor surface drainage
• Can be also be caused by excess wet weather

SOLUTION: Aeration

• Creates open spaces in the soil - greatly assisting drainage
• Prevents waterlogged conditions on the lawn surface

PROBLEM: Shade

Lawn mosses thrive in all-day shade, especially beneath trees/under debris on the lawn such as leaves

SOLUTION: Increase direct sunlight

• Remove fallen leaves and other debris from the lawn
• Trim back lower branches of trees, overhanging shrubs etc.

PROBLEM: Compacted soil

• When the ground is too hard, grass has difficulty growing and spreading which allows the moss to take over
• Severely compacted soil is almost impregnable - moss has no problem growing on the dense surface caused

SOLUTION: Aeration

The very best way to relieve compacted soil

PROBLEM: Mowing too close

• A scalped lawn allows moss to take over

SOLUTION: Raise the height of cut

• We recommend you do not cut the lawn too short – never less than 1” in height
• Scalping the lawn weakens the grass plant and makes it more susceptible to moss invasion

PROBLEM: Impoverished lawns 

• An unhealthy lawn will struggle to compete with moss

SOLUTION: Nourishment

• Our nutrient and micronutrient-rich feed encourages a much stronger lawn (and better colour as a bonus!) which allows the grass to compete better with moss

PROBLEM: Dry/drought damaged soil 

• As counter-intuitive as it may sound, given that moss loves moisture - loss of moisture causes the soil to shrink - making it tight and dense
• This can damage and tear roots, making it very difficult for them to receive essential water and nutrients
• When the lawn finally does receive moisture, opportunistic moss spores germinate quickly, as the grass is not healthy enough to compete

SOLUTION: Oasis

Our Oasis treatment is a wetting agent that conditions the soil and greatly improves absorption of any moisture received 

Just one more thing…

Moss is also found on:

• Worn/overused areas: especially along walkways and where children play
• New-build lawns: sometimes due to poor site preparation
• Established lawns: usually due to poor health/stresses to the grass plant
• Tree roots: many people have trees in the garden - when larger roots grow close to the soil surface, the grass is prevented from having sufficient soil - this causes moss to develop and grow on top of the roots If the lawn is not watered sufficiently, the finer (sometimes microscopic) feeder roots of the tree can move upwards and compete with grass for water and space - weakening the grass plant and permitting moss to grow [This also can occur around shrubs bordering the lawn, especially evergreens].

What kills moss in a lawn?

The most commonly used DIY treatment for killing moss in a lawn is iron sulphate, which is the active ingredient in lawn sand and most off-the-shelf moss killers. For large infestations or lawns where moss keeps returning, however, DIY treatments only solve part of the problem. Professional scarification mechanically removes the thatch layer that moss thrives in, treating the root cause rather than the surface symptom and producing significantly better long-term results.

Will moss come back after treatment?

Yes — moss can and often does come back after treatment if the underlying conditions in the lawn haven't changed. Moss is a symptom of a lawn under stress: it fills the gaps left by weak or sparse grass, and it thrives wherever conditions favour it over grass growth, such as shade, compacted soil, poor drainage, or low nutrition. Killing moss removes the problem temporarily, but if the lawn isn't fed, aerated, and given the right care through the seasons, moss will return — often within the same year. The most effective way to prevent moss from coming back is to build a lawn that's healthy and dense enough to outcompete it.