What is moss?
Moss is small green non-vascular flowerless plants that can be decorative but sometimes considered as a nuisance weed. Mosses usually form thick green clumps or mats of tiny green leaves which are unwanted. Though moss won’t kill your grass, it may leave your lawn looking weird and unhygienic.
Moss is not fungus but it look like fungi because they do produce spores. Also, they produced their own food and nutrients through leaves. The main function of moss is to add nutrients in the complex plants to succeed them.
As you see, it is not harmful for the lawn and plants but when it becomes thick and tidy it is a sign you should kill them immediately. So, here are the solutions to manage moss.
Natural Ways to Kill Moss on Your Lawn
If we talk about traditional methods, spreading iron sulfate over the lawn is the perfect way to kill moss. You can make the method less acidic by adding lime into the soil, or you can use old sweat equity and scrape out the moss from your lawn.
But one of the easiest and most effective methods to kill moss is using dish soap. It is easy to use and learn how to kill moss.
How to use dish soap to kill moss?
It’s an easy job. But you have to follow the three simple steps to get ready with a solution so you can use it for a long time.
- If you want to remove small green patches, then take a garden hand sprayer and mix 2 ounces of dish soap in it with 1 gallon of water. Use the blue dawn (you can find it easily in the grocery stores). If you want to cover a larger area use 4 ounces of dish soap in 2 gallons of water for every 1,000 square feet lawn.
- Once the mixture is ready, spray it over patches. Ensure you have held the nozzle spray a little far from the target area. Also, keep in mind you are not allowed to spray the mixture over the grass as it may kill healthy grass.
- When the spray task is completed, you will see orange or brown patches in 24 hours or eventually dry up. Now dig up the dead moss. The dish detergent does not kill moss at the roots, so remove the moss as much as possible. So, the surrounding grass will begin to grow over the patches.
- After putting moss from the lawn you should isolate it. Remember don’t compost it otherwise the moss spores could spread back in your lawn.
When is the right time to spread Moss killer Solution?
To get the most out of the solution, one must keep in mind that using it at the right time will help you kill moss for the lifetime. Spring or early fall are the best time to kill lawns.
And always apply the dish soap and water mixture when the grass is moist. Also do check the rainy atmosphere and ensure there is no call for rain within 24 hours of application.