What to do After Getting Rid of Moss

Timing

After any invasive treatment, you should always help the lawn recover. This is easier if you've been wise with your timing, and nature assists by providing warmth, sun, and rain to speed things along.

The lawn is there for my benefit, and I want it to look respectable all year round. You should be able to achieve the same regardless of whether you've got a kiddies' play lawn or a masterpiece. Just get your timing right!

Kill the Remaining Moss

If you have moss in the lawn, a dose of ferrous sulphate or MossOff applied by a watering can or sprayer after raking will kill any moss left in the lawn. It should penetrate deeply into the moss now that you've thinned it with your raking. This is one of the best ways of reducing moss infestation. If you applied ferrous sulphate before raking, ensure at least 4 weeks between applications if used twice. MossOff can be used without regard to leaving extra time.

Over Seed

Add lawn grass seed. If the damage is patchy, a light sprinkling (10 to 20 seeds per square inch, no more) into those areas may be all needed. However, if you've done a thorough de-mossing or de-thatching, it's risky to expect a complete and uniform recovery, so get some grass seed into the lawn.

If you use iron sulphate or an iron fertiliser and over-seeding, put the seed in a couple of days afterwards. 

Aid Recovery

Get some fertiliser into the lawn. I always use a fertiliser containing potassium (all Lawnsmith fertilisers contain potassium) as this helps the grass fight off the stress of the raking and will help protect against disease. In addition, a fertiliser for sandy soil, even if you have clay soil, is most beneficial when seeding as it contains more nutrients young seedlings require. This means we use our Spring & Summer for Sandy Soil or our Natur in spring or summer, and in autumn, we use our Autumn feed. You can apply the fertiliser on the day of seeding, but better results can be obtained by fertilising when the seed has germinated. Walking on the seed or the seedlings is not an issue if you wear smooth-soled shoes and tread gently without twisting or turning.

Finally, hope for gentle rain and be prepared to get the sprinkler out if you're unlucky!

Mow the lawn regularly to prevent the original grass from overpowering the seedlings. On a dry day, mow high with sharp blades.