Moss. You either love it or hate it when it covers the outdoor space where lawn grass should be growing. Some people love the moss because it creates a no-maintenance ground cover in the landscape that is soft underfoot. Others hate the moss because of its invasive habit and appearance.
If you’re in the latter category and want to get rid of these spreading plants, discover how to kill moss in lawns without chemicals by reading this article.
I am in the latter, so let’s do this!
Simple Plants
Mosses of all types are just simple green plants. It’s an opportunistic plant that will grow anywhere that provides it with shady moisture and nutrients.
A shady landscape that stays moist is the plant’s ideal growing habitat. Moss also grows on trees (alive or dead trees), flowerpots, concrete steps, walkways, retaining walls, or any other outdoor item that remains stationary and damp.
Let The Sun Shine
One of the best ways to kill moss in lawns is to let more sunlight shine on it. Remove trees or shrubs when possible to allow more sunlight and air circulation for the lawn. If removing entire trees or shrubs is not a feasible option, prune off lower limbs and trim upper limbs as much as possible to increase sunlight and air.
Dish Soap
This is a cheap and easy way to kill moss in the lawn without harming the grass. Mix 2-ounces (60 ml) of any type of liquid dish soap into 1-gallon (3.7 litters) of water. Pour mixture into a garden sprayer and spray on moss.
Soak the moss with the soapy water and in 24 hours the plants will begin to turn orange-brown and show signs of drying up. In a few days the plants will be completely dried up and can be easily raked-off the soil.
Vinegar and Salt
Here is another chemical-free way to kill moss, but this can only be used in areas away from grass and other plants. Vinegar and salt are natural weed killers and create an effective liquid solution for killing moss.
Mix 4-cups of white vinegar, 1/4-cup of salt, and 2-teaspoons of liquid dish soap. Pour into a spray bottle and saturate moss with the mixture. Allow moss to dry up, then rake or scrape away.
To be on the safe side, apply on hard surfaces such as concrete steps and walkways.
Baking Soda
This can be sprinkled directly onto moss to kill it. Baking soda will not harm other plants but it will cause the moss to dry up. The dried moss is easy to rake up and discard so grass seeds can be planted.
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