Moss

[D. Adams]

/Have a lawn area with moss spreading. part of the moss is in a sodded walk area and part is by a tree line im thinking this may either be compaction or maybe because of shade looking for other thoughts

[AZTLANLC]

Most likely shade and moist

[Pelican]

When found in a lawn, moss is a good indicator that:

Ground remains wet for long periods
Nutrient level of the soil is low
Soil is compacted and lacks organic matter.
Grass may be cut too short or even scalped down to bare earth
Area is shaded from regular sunshine

I found that on a Google search. Moss also likes acidic soil so check your Ph levels.

[sandim]

Moss is a real PIA for us where we work in CT.
Moss likes it acidic, moist and shady. If you have a yard with a lot of trees that doesn't get a lot of sun, moss will always be a problem.
Take a soil sample, Lime it and fertilize it according to the results of the soil sample and aerate it. Best you can do.
Also, many lawns were put in when trees were not as tall as they currently are in a landscape, try overseeding in the fall with a shade grass. Bringing in a bit of topsoil could potentially help as well.

[agla]

Moss was a real Pita in Oakland, too. Hopefully, he'll behave himself in New England.


Sorry, I had to.

[Lawn Lad]

Moss is an environmental weed, it will only grow where conditions are favorable. The only way to eradicate is change/manage the site conditions.

So, aearte to improve drainage and reduce compaction. Limb up and thin trees where possible to increase sunlight and air circulation. Do a soil test to check pH, adjust as indicated by soil test and check nutirents.

One problem with shady turf is that you don't want to fertilize at recommended rates, we generally cut by about half to prevent the lawn from thinning out. But then this means reducing the nutrients which leads to poor growing conditions. It's a double edged sword.