How to get Rid of Moss in Spring

Moss is a bit like the common cold and spreads everywhere during cool wet winters. However, moss doesn’t move in on a dense healthy lawn so easily. Moss grows where the grass is thin, patchy and not strong and healthy. This means good lawn care is required, so if you think you need to beef up your lawn maintenance read our Lawn Care Advice section and in particular Lawn Moss Prevention. 

Key point to remember is that moss grows in cool conditions which are usually too cool for good strong grass growth. Start moss control too early and your lawn is not going to grow into the spaces left by the dead moss! Killing the moss early or even twice isn’t a timing issue but raking the moss out and over seeding need to be done ONLY when the grass starts growing well. See our Moss Treatment videos.

Kill the Moss and Feed the Grass

If you’ve maintained the lawn well and moss is hardly noticeable then give yourself a pat on the back. Your objective now is to stop the moss getting worse so that the grass has no competition for space.

I would always use Green-up Ferrous Sulphate as a liquid spray during the cooler wetter spring weather. The iron in it is also an important mineral and makes the grass greener without causing growth and also helps suppress worm casting. You can do this every 4 to 8 weeks from winter right through to early spring.

If you feel your grass needs a nutritional boost late winter or very early spring you can use our Winter Green which will kill the moss and really green the lawn without interfering with the very important spring feed.

Kill the Moss, Rake it Out and Feed the Grass

As above but if the moss is readily visible you’re probably want to rake it out in April. Once you’ve raked it out, you’re in a better position to decide whether or not you need to over seed. If the lawn has no bare patches and is still reasonably dense then over seeding isn’t necessary though it can be very beneficial to over seed and introduce new young grass plants into the lawn thus improving the overall health and look.

The other change here is that you can rake first then spray ferrous sulphate afterwards to kill what moss is left. The choice is yours and down to experience. Watch the Raking Video

Kill the Moss, Rake it Out, Over Seed and Feed the Grass

This is the full procedure and required for heavier moss infestations. In addition, if your lawn is more than 5 years old I would always follow this procedure particularly if I wasn’t scarified and over seeded in autumn.

You’ll find the full procedure in the article Moss Removal

The Spring Feed is the Best Defence

A thick dense healthy lawn is the main defence against moss. This means regular mowing and a spring feed is essential for thickening the lawn. Apply the fertiliser on the same day as the last step of the procedures above (or within 2 weeks), or if over seeding, when new grass shoots are seen as your seed germinates.