As soon as the sun starts shining and the evenings stretch out ahead of us, getting your lawn back into peak condition becomes a top priority. Removing the moss that has built up over the winter is for many households a spring ritual. But what next? How do you keep moss at bay long-term, and maintain a beautiful lawn all summer long? Here Johnsons Lawn Seed – the UK’s leading lawn seed brand – shares some top tips for life after moss.
The fact is, moss won’t permanently disappear unless you change the environment in which it thrives. Heavy shade from hedges, buildings and fences often cause it to spread, but the good news is that it is easy to remove and keep at bay for the foreseeable future.
Once moss has been removed – which can be achieved by simply raking out the offending thatch, scarifying the area of all moss – it is easy to think that the lawn can now be left to its own devices. However, this is a common misconception. Once the moss has been removed it leave behind a cleared area which is prime real estate for weeds. With room to grow into, weeds can quickly establish and a new crop of moss is close behind. As the ‘lawnowner’ it is better to choose which plants you would like to grow in the cleared area – surely the answer should be ‘grass’ where lawns are concerned.
After moss comes beautiful dense lawns
Dense, luscious lawns are great at suppressing weeds and deterring the return of moss. Many people think that creating a densely-packed lawn is a tough job to complete but it really couldn’t be easier. Following these simple steps makes it even easier to repair patchy lawns post-moss.
When reseeding do make sure to first check the acidity of the soil (which you can check for yourself with a soil testing kit). It’s likely that your soil’s pH is too low, it becomes acidic and moss will flourish. In this case, no matter how often you remove moss, it will keep coming back unless you can raise the pH. Johnsons Lawn Seed’s After Moss is coated in calcium carbonate which raises the pH of the soil for you. This fast establishing dwarf perennial ryegrass mix, with Green Lawn Technology seeds, is deep rooting and dense and will help deter the return of moss.
- To start, simply disturb the surface of the soil with a rake, removing any stones and debris.
- Next sow the seed. Each box of Johnsons Lawn Seed comes complete with a purpose-built dispenser incorporated into each pack, making it easier to evenly spread the seed direct from the box.
- Gently rake the seed, to ensure even distribution, and then firm it down with your feet or a light roller.
- With a little more effort, improved results can be achieved through de-compacting the area by digging in a fork and gently leaning back on it to crack the soil.
- Better yet, use a hollow tine fork and fill in the holes with a light topsoil. Not only will this help the grass root to grow deeper, it will also improve the drainage and reduce moss invasion.
Green Lawn Technology
Johnsons Lawn Seed’s new Green Lawn Technology can be used to solve the most common lawn seed complaints, such as repairing and improving patchy and tired lawns, as well as being ideal for seeding new lawns.
Two Johnsons Lawn Seed lawn seed mixes which already benefit from Green Lawn Technology are Quick Lawn and Tuffgrass, both of which are perfect for repairing lawns previously rife with moss. Quick Lawn utilises a special seed dressing called ‘Gromax’ to encourage quicker and more hardwearing lawns, whilst Tuffgrass has been developed to stand up to the hardest wear and tear, and is great value for money.
Find out more
To find out more about Johnsons Lawn Seed products please visit www.johnsonslawnseed.com
For more information, interviews or images please contact:
Kimberley Hornby & Robbie Cumming, DLF/Johnsons Lawn Seed PR Team, Hornby Whitefoot PR
Kimberley Hornby Tel: 07851610573 Email: kimberley@hornbywhitefootpr.co.uk
Robbie Cumming Tel: 07765251173 Email: robbie@hornbywhitefootpr.co.uk