There are a number of problems that can arise on your lawn if you don't take proper care of it. Diseases, bald patches, and discoloration to name a few. But one lawn problem that people often forget about is moss! It's green in colour and can grow underneath perfectly healthy grass, so it can be quite hard to spot lawn moss before it spreads throughout your lawn completely. Today we're going to take a closer look at lawn moss and answer the question - when does moss grow in lawns? If you'd like to learn more about this topic, just keep reading...
What causes moss in lawns?
Moss in lawns is caused by a combination of moisture and weak grass. It favours shady areas as opposed to full sunlight, so the problem often starts around bushes or trees in your garden. Due to the damp and dark conditions that moss needs to grow in, it often grows during spring and autumn - but can also rear its head if we have a particularly damp winter too!
These 'in-between' months are often quite wet, and since the sun doesn't come out in full force until the summer months, temperatures remain quite cold and lawns can be in shade for large parts of the day. These conditions help lawn moss to thrive. Some other causes of lawn moss include:
- Patchy or sparse grass - which can occur for a number of reasons. There's less competition for the moss in these sparse areas, so it can quickly take hold!
- Compacted soil - will prevent surface water from draining properly, which can cause moss to develop.
- Worn turf - if your lawn gets walked on regularly, the grass can become damaged, which creates conditions for moss to thrive.
It's important to be vigilant if you suspect that moss could be growing on your lawn. Moss can quickly take over and out-compete your grass, causing long-term damage that's tricky to repair. Luckily, there are a lot of lawn care companies out there - like Lawn and Weed Expert - that are trained to deal with lawn moss and other pesky problems.
How can you prevent moss in your lawn?
Preventing moss in your lawn from developing moss in the first place will take a little bit of work, but as with most things in life, prevention is easier than cure! Here we've listed a few of the things you can do to keep your lawn in a better condition and stop moss from developing. If you can implement these things in your lawn care routine, it'll be less likely that you'll need to treat moss later down the line.
- Remove excess thatch from your lawn by scarifying. This process helps your lawn to breathe, reducing moisture and preventing moss.
- Cut the grass, but don't cut it too short! People often cut their grass too short, weakening the blades of grass and making them more susceptible to moss.
- Water your grass during periods of drought, but don't overdo it. A waterlogged lawn is more prone to moss.
- Aerate your lawn throughout the year to help prevent soil compaction.
If you're concerned that you might have moss on your lawn, we have the perfect solutions for you. We offer year-round lawn care packages to help keep your grass in tip-top condition, and we also offer specialist moss treatments to help you get moss under control! Use the buttons below to check them out.
Moss Control > Seasonal Lawn Care Treatments >
