Basically, you need to maintain good basic lawn care. A healthy lawn offers neither the space nor the conditions for moss to thrive. Here are four key areas to work on to discourage or prevent moss:
- Drainage: Moss needs a moisture-retentive surface. You can maintain good drainage through routine scarification and aeration, as well as correct mowing.
- Nutrition: Poorly fed grass thins out and lets moss spores land on the thatch. Once established, the moss competes with the grass for nutrients, leading to further grass loss and more space for the moss to fill. Properly-fed grass is too thick to allow moss room to thrive.
- Thatch: Moss loves a moisture-retentive thick layer of thatch. So, use routine scarification to keep the thatch under control.
- Mowing: Cutting the grass too short will open up the thatch to moss spores. Also, an exposed thatch, in both wet and arid conditions, worsens drainage, thereby eventually creating that moist environment the moss loves so much.
Some people blame shade for their moss, but often the underlying reason for moss in shady areas is the condition of the lawn itself. So before chopping down bushes or tree branches, check whether the lawn can be improved first.