I hope someone out there can help!
My lawn has two problems.
Firstly the drainage is very poor in one part of the garden - the lowest part unsurprisingly! Is there anything I can do?
This drainage problem has allowed moss to get hold in a big way. I put down some feed, weed and mosskiller, and it has helped a bit, but I think I may need to take the moss out and seed the lawn again - ist that right?
All help appreciated
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I had a big problem with moss in lawn last year and used Feed and weed, I also forked out a lot of moss and reseeded patches where it was worst. I've still got some moss but not as much as before, so I'm going to try the feed and weed this month and see if that will take out the remaining moss.
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 Simon Scot
Hi
Poor drainage and moss go together.If you do not improve the drainage you will always get moss.You could try to improve it by removing the turf and digging in some gritty compost then replacing the turf. You could hire a machine that will remove cores of soil which you then fill with gritty compost.If the drainage is so bad that you get waterlogging you may need pipes putting in. Only you know how severe it is and only you can pick the best option. You are wasting your money and time by using feed and weed as that is only a short term option and will need to be repeated on a yearly basis.
Bazza
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Will a lawn aerator help at all with the drainage/moss problem?
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 Hi Simon. It's fairly easy to help moderately poor drainage. Take a garden fork and push it into the lawn to the full depth of the tines all over the damp area. Then brush sand into the holes, so you fill them. The sand drains very quickly and moisture will not sit in the lawn the way it has been doing. Moss killer or Sulphate of Iron will kill the moss and the tip here is that the moss goes black, then straw-brown. Don't rake it out until it goes brown, because then it's dead. If you do it too early, you risk leaving live bits behind that will regrow. Once you see what you're left with, you can decide whether to resow.
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 I heartily agree with all that has been said about moss and poor drainage. I would hire a hollow tine aerator and then brush in a sandy grit mixed with some sieved loam. The sandy grit has larger particles in that pure sand and therefore allows better drainage. Oversowing with a pure dwarf ryegrass, which is tolerant of poor conditions, will help. make sure the area does not also suffer from shade, perhaps from overhanging branches as this can also encourage moss.
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Sounds like Bazza is on the right track with his drainage idea, if your lawn is on a slope then simply using an aetator could make things worse.By adding sand etc you could be turning this part of your lawn into a sponge and if you have a garden sloping into yours,you could be inviting water into your garden.To prevent this you may even need to also install drainage at the highest point of your lawn to prevent water entering your lawn in the first place.Check out your garden and try and discover whear the moisture is originating from,this will help you take the correct action for your lawn
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just a word about weed feed and mosskiller. I found it to be reasonably effective, but if you're re-seeding afterwards, leave it a good year before you use it again. I also found an electric rake good for removing the dead moss.
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My moss isn't as bad this year - so far. I did use the weed feed and mosskiller last year - thought I'd killed the lawn at one point! This year I fed the lawn and used an electric scarifier on it too. But it was a very dry spell in April so perhaps my problems are just lying dormant at present. Inez
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I am a new member and have been reading all your tips on moss thank you for your help. Could anyone advise me on the cheapest place to buy moss killer/sulphate oif iron in bulk, as I have quite a large lawn and have found garden centers to be quite expensive?
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I have moss growing in between the spaces of my lock block paving which covers a good part of my frontage. I use a high pressure washer every year, but I am still fighting a losing battle. Any advice on stpping this dead in its tracks will be welcomed. I need help!!
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Hi, just joined and have been reading tips on lawn moss. My only concern is that I hate using anything that will harm wildlife/domestic animals in anyway. I have lived at my present address for 8 years, and have never used anything other than tlc - perhaps that's where I'm going wrong! Will commercially bought moss killers do any harm to wildlife - I ask this as I have a problem quite near to my pond, and in the last two years this has become collonised by newts, frogs and pond snails which have all appeared from somewhere, and don't want to do anything that will harm them. Thank you
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Deano, a cheap and very effective moss killer can be found at www.turfshop.co.uk , called Maxicrop. It is made from organic seaweed that contains Iron sulphate that will kill the moss in your lawn. A 10 litre tub will cover 500sq.m. and the product will also offer some nutritional value. Charles, I would be careful when using an Iron sulphate moss killer of paving. If the paving is light coloured the iron can stain it and you will be out there with your pressure washer and scrubbing brush. Maybe its worth trying glysophate (round up) as this will kill the moss as well as any other plants in your paving. Chrissie, if your lawn is near a pond then the soil close to the pond is always going to be quite damp, encouraging moss to grow. Why not leave a gap of about 2m next to the pond so that if there is any negative effect it will not get into the water. I reccomend the Maxicrop Moss Killer as it is produced from a natural organic seaweed rather than a synthetic chemical.
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