Iron sulphate is very good at killing moss. It is widely used in moss control treatments. If you’d like to know why, read on to find out more…
How Does Iron Sulphate Kill Moss?
Moss thrives in lightly acidic soil with a pH between 5 and 5.5. pH is a measure of acidity on a scale between 0 and 14, with lower numbers being more acidic and higher numbers being more basic (alkaline). For reference, water is pH neutral with a pH of 7, bleach is alkaline with a pH of 11-13, while lemon juice has a pH between 2 and 3. Many plants prefer soil with a pH between 5.8 and 7, so a lawn with moss already has a problem with more acidic soil than is healthy for grass.
Iron sulphate is the result of combining sulphuric acid (a strong acid) and ferrous hydroxide. Applying it to your lawn will lower the pH of the soil, past the point at which moss is able to grow. Simply mix iron sulphate with water and spray on affected areas, then sit back and watch the moss blacken and die off. Problem solved, right?
Right?
Is Iron Sulphate Good For Lawns?
Iron sulphate kills moss, but too much of the pure product can also harm your grass! Lime (the mineral, not the edible kind), bicarbonates, and zinc can all help combat iron toxicity.
Properly-applied iron sulphate moss treatment should kill off the moss, leaving the grass alone. It can even help fertilise your lawn: iron is as essential a nutrient for grass as it is for humans.
After a course of iron sulphate moss treatment, the grass will need to be scarified to ensure the dead moss doesn’t linger. Your lawn may need to be given a booster of sorts. Lawn fertiliser will help here. You could also overseed your grass after using iron sulphate.
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Here at Lawn & Weed Expert, we use an iron sulphate moss treatment to control lawn moss. If your lawn is suffering from an infestation of moss, we will be more than happy to help – just let us know!
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