If you are anything like me you will want to keep your garden as organic as possible.
This can be especially challenging when it comes to looking after your lawn and achieving the beautiful lush green grass of your dreams.
Depending on where you live, keeping your lawn in good condition and keeping it as organic as possible can definitely be a challenge, especially if you live somewhere that has conditions that make it possible for weeds like moss to grow.
In this article I will tell you my tactics for how to get rid of moss in the grass without chemicals, it is hard work and takes effort but is definitely worth the effort you put in. These will be 100% chemical-free ideas that will help you get rid of the moss in your grass and I won’t be including any remedies you can mix at home with household products.
To get rid of moss from your grass without using chemicals it is all about making the conditions that will allow your grass to thrive. Organic techniques for this include raking the moss, using a mulching mower to provide nutrients, and Aerating your lawn.
Check out my article on thing moss on your lawn indicates.
Benefits Of Not Using Chemicals On Your Lawn
Using organic techniques in your garden does seem to be something of a growing trend.
It’s not just trendy but there are some actual benefits to gain from not using chemicals on your grass.
Pesticides Are Toxic
The chemicals that are in pesticides are some of the most damaging to the environment you will find in your garden.
The problem with pesticides is that the more you use them the more you need them. Pests will build a tolerance to them which means you have to apply a higher and higher dose for them to be effective.
Best to avoid using them altogether if you ask me.
Herbicides Are Toxic
Whilst herbicides are mostly harmless to humans they can do terrible damage to your local environment and to any pets that are exposed to them.
While you may think herbicides are beneficial to your grass as it gets rid of weeds, the chemicals in them are really terrible for the environment. The chemicals in herbicides may run off and end up in the local water supply and may kill local aqua life.
Best not using them if you ask me.
Inorganic Fertilizer Is Toxic
While you may find that using inorganic fertilizer has the quickest and most profound benefit for your grass they are also absolutely terrible for the environment.
When the chemicals from inorganic fertilizers get into the groundwater supply they can stimulate the growth of algae and this can in turn use up all the oxygen in the water and end up suffocating plants or fish that live in the water.
Best to avoid using inorganic fertilizers at all costs.
Pets Safety
So the above chemicals are mostly harmless to humans but what about your pets?
If pets and up sniffing or eating these chemicals they may not come to immediate harm however one study showed that dogs who live in yards that are treated with herbicides are actually three times more likely to develop cancer.
If you have pets I think it is a good idea to go full organic or if you do use chemicals you should keep them off the grass for 3 days after the application.
Tactics for getting rid of moss without chemicals
So I’ve covered reasons you should stop using chemicals for your grass and I will now cover the techniques I personally use to keep my lawn healthy without chemicals.
The best way to get rid of moss is to make your grass as healthy as possible as moss grows where the grass is struggling to grow.
Check out my article on the best time of year to get rid of moss.
Lots Of Raking
This is a kind of obvious tactic that some people actually overlook and I’m not sure why?
Maybe it’s a combination of it being so obvious and the fact it is hard work and takes a good bit of effort. Raking is a vital part of my routine that gets rid of moss without using any chemicals but it is hard work.
To use this technique you simply dig the rake into your grass and rip it.
This will rip up any excessive thatch layer as well as some of the moss that is growing in your grass.
It’s nowhere near as simple as raking grass off your lawn after you cut it as it does take some effort to physically rip the moss and thatch layer. This is a simple and effective technique and if you do it thoroughly enough you could remove most of the moss from your grass.
This technique will leave moss spores that will probably start to grow again so although it will get rid of moss without using chemicals you now have to improve the condition of your lawn to make the grass thrive instead of the moss.
Use A Mulching Mower
Check out my full article on the best mulching mowers.
When I was a beginner to lawn care I did not know anything about mulching or how beneficial it can be for the grass, it’s a vital technique if you are trying to grow a lush green lawn that makes your neighbors jealous.
When you use a mulching mower the mower will cut the grass clippings into tiny little pieces so that they will sink down through your lawn and sit on the soil. These tiny grass clippings will act as natures natural fertilizer and as they decompose they will release lots of nutrients that your lawn will absorb.
When your grass has plentiful nutrients it will make it more difficult for weeds such as moss to invade and take over your lawn.
Everyone should be mulching grass clippings instead of using inorganic fertilizer as it is not only beneficial for your grass but it can also quite dramatically reduce the amount of garden waste you produce.
Aerate Your Lawn
Aeration is a vital part of the routine I use that encourages my grass to grow healthy and helps me get rid of any moss in my grass without using chemicals. Making your grass thrive is the goal as that is the best and most natural organic way to fight a moss problem.
Improves drainage – when you aerate your lawn you will be putting probably hundreds of holes all over it. This will obviously quite dramatically improve the drainage and this is vital in the fight against moss as moss likes damp ground so the better the drainage is then the less moss will thrive.
You really should be aerating your lawn at least once per year regardless of whether you are trying to get rid of moss as it will help keep your lawn in tip-top condition.
Improves air circulation – This may sound a bit silly but grass does like the air to circulate around it.
When you aerate your lawn it opens up holes all over which allows the air to get down to places it normally can’t. This will make your grass thrive and thriving grass is the best way to get rid of moss without having to resort to using any chemicals.
Improves compacted soil – if the soil under your grass becomes compacted it can be an absolute disaster for lawn care and this problem alone will more than likely prevent you from achieving the lawn you dream of.
Luckily it is quite a simple problem to solve, aerate your lawn and all of your compacted soil problems will disappear. If soil compaction is a major problem then the best type of aerator to use would be a core aerator.
Make Your Lawn As Sunny As Possible
All plants do love the sun and moss is no exception, however, moss is more adaptable and will be able to grow better in shaded conditions compared to grass.
For this reason if you have any overhanging branches that you can control you should prune them back and get as much sun as possible on your lawn as the more sun you can get shining on your lawn the better your grass will grow.
The best way to get rid of moss without using chemicals is to make conditions that will contribute to your grass thriving.
Another advantage of making your lawn as sunny as possible is that the sun will help keep your grass dry and this is essential if you are trying to get rid of moss as moss prefers damp conditions whereas grass does like water but will not thrive if there is any standing water.
Do Home Remedies Count As Chemicals?
There are a number of home remedies you can mix together using household products that I have not included as I think if you use them then you are using chemicals and not being completely organic.
Check out my detailed article on how to use these homemade solutions.
Some of the home remedies you can use yo get rid of moss include:
- Lime – if you apply lime to your lawn it will make the pH level more alkaline and help fight moss.
- Baking Soda – you can mix baking soda with water and spray it on moss as an inexpensive moss killer.
- Vinegar – similar to baking soda you can mix it with water and use it as a homemade moss killing spray.
- Soapy Water – you can mix dish soap with water and spray it on moss to get rid of it.
These home remedies will work for getting rid of moss but I think if you use then they do count as using chemicals. The best way to get rid of moss is to make your soil into prime condition so that your grass starts to thrive.
Growing thriving grass is always the best way to fight a moss problem.
