Mossy and brownish lawn, help!

[BramblyHedge]

Hey there!

This weekend I've mowed the lawn after maybe too much time, and two days later it looks like the pictures I'm attaching.

I noticed previously that moss has been arising over time, but now the situation is:

• There are a lot of brownish patches.
• Some dry grass can be found.
• Lot of green-brown moss.
• Overall, it's not as green as it should be.

Could you give me some advice on how to fix this?

• It is a matter of water it? I usually don't water the grass since rain is usual...
• Throwing some grass seeds would increase the quantity of green grass, or it's just not how it works?

Any idea will be welcome. Please consider that I'm totally newbie on this.

Thank you!

 

[PGB1]

I'm not an expert by any means, but what I learned when we had moss take over the lawn included:

Causes that I know of can be low light, staying wet too long, packed-down soil, clay soil & very acidic soil (what pH, I can't remember).

Removing thatch in the lawn helped it dry faster, helping prevent moss growth. I suspect, in our case, a lot also had to do with letting the grass grow too high, preventing light and air from drying the lawn.

To get rid of it in large areas, when the lawn was damp I used a plain, old bow rake. The moss pulled right up. The roots were very, very shallow. You have to get rid of what is raked up or it re-roots itself.

To spot kill, success was had with 1/2 pound of baking soda in a gallon of water. I sprayed it on & it didn't bother the grass. I've heard that dish soap also works.

There are also commercially made moss killers, but these are man-made chemicals and may be evil to the insects, birds that eat the insects, squirrels and other lawn users. I skipped those.

I hope this helps,
Paul

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Too much water is a common cause of moss, don't water, shade you can try overseeding with a 'shady places' grass seed mix. As PGB1 says rake and remove is the best way to lose it, It won't rot down in the compost, either dispose of in the bin or bury deep, good for runner beans, holds the moisture. Ferrous sulphate is the usual ingredient in moss killer, a fairly ordinary salt that won't damage other things too much, but it turns it black and you still have to rake it out. I bought an electric rake/scarifier for about £60 that works very well, if it is a small lawn a wire rake will do it.

 

[PGB1]

I like your suggestion to use the moss for runner beans, Oliver Buckle. Thanks for posting it.
I'll try it on the beans!