How can I remove the moss growing on my lawn?

Question

I have a lot of fairly thick, short moss growing on my lawn. The grass seems to be growing through it and looks healthy, but I still have a carpet of moss. I try raking it, but it's relentless and continues to grow. What can I do about this?

Answer 1

Moss cannot compete with grass under ideal conditions for grass. You could cultivate a moss garden. It never needs mowing!

To improve conditions for grass you can do some or all of these:

• more light: can you cut back any trees or shrubs to let more light in?
• reduce compaction due to foot traffic or absence of organic matter
  • add a hard path where people walk
  • sow more grass seed and then top dress twice to 1/4" to 1/2" yearly with weed free compost or topsoil
  • aerate the soil: the best method is to physically remove plugs of soil (takes more work than using a hard rake)
• drainage: does water sit in puddles after a rain? some regrading to let water flow off the turf might help
• use a hard rake to physically remove the moss before seeding and top dressing