We have been receiving quite a few calls this week regarding moss in the lawn.
Moss is a fairly common but minor problem in the lawn. Moss is a green fine textured mat over the soil surface and it can destroy a lawn if not controlled. Moss is usually associated with one of the following condition:
Low Fertility
Compacted Soil
Shade
Restricted air movement in the soil
Excessive moisture
You need to figure out what conditions contributed to the moss infestation and base your corrective action around that.
Some moss control measures are as follows:
Maintain a higher mowing height as this will improve turf vigor and competition against moss invasion
Fertilize the lawn to encourage aggressive turf growth to help crowd out moss.
Do a soil test to determine if soil is lacking something that could help prevent moss
Core aerate the lawn to reduce compaction and increase air movement
If shade is an issue, selectively prune trees to increase air movement and sunlight to lawn areas
Apply a chemical product to control moss. Scotts Granular Moss Killer or Bonide Moss Control Granules are both effective moss killers.
After chemical treatment rake out dead moss and put down new topsoil and re-seed affected areas.