Lawn moss

[Snadger]

But is that just the moss turning black?

Nope the actual grass leaves turn black!

Moss killer of any description is a waste of time unless you tackle the underlying problems that are causing the moss in the first place!

[Philthy]

Shorter days, damper air - overnight dew.. mist and fog. Sun is weaker so it doesn't fully dry the ground during daylight hours (even if it drains well). Ideal conditions for moss to thrive. My theory anyway.

Question: Is it better to apply moss killer and then scarify (actively remove dead moss and thatch) during autumn or spring? Some people might do both - for me it's a once a year job, and I'd normally tackle the moss in autumn.

(I'm giving it a miss this year though, as our lawn is in a rather fragile and sorry state at the moment, thanks to a bodge job of last year's moss treatment (not by myself I might add) that caused swathes of healthy grass to be burned and turn black along with the moss. So now there's lots of bald patches and sparse grass coverage that might not hold up to the teeth of a scarify or even a rake. This summer I've just been concentrating on feeding the grass that is left. Next spring hopefully I can start re-seeding it. Bit of a joke, really. And the person responsible for the damage of course denied all responsibility).

[Martin H]

I'd do it in autumn, then aerate and top-dress. It's getting a bit late, but if it stays mild should still be fine.