Moss removal or till it into soil?
I bought my house last year and when I did the back yard had about 17 oak trees. Ive removed 11 of them. Now I have the wonderful task of dealing with 9,000 sq ft of moss. Ive been told by numerous landscapers that I have to spend thousands of dollars on labor and top soil and this and that. My question is simple though and no one seems to answer it. Can I just till the moss into the existing soil, do a test and then make the necessary amendments?or do I have to actually rake it all up, bring in top soil and then seed from there. I'm in new jersey. The soil is pretty sandy.
Moss usuallly grows in shady wet spots. You can till it under, but you need to kill it first or all those little pieces will grow back.
Last edited by imafan26 on Tue Sep 02, 2014 11:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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applestar
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Isn't it likely now that there are only 6 oak trees to shade them, they won't grow as lush?
What did you want to do with the area? Do you really intend to turn it all into lawn?
You may want to consider what will grow well in your sandy soil rather than embark on growing grass where they won't want to....
Have you been to the Pine Barrens Preservation Alliance demonstration garden?
What did you want to do with the area? Do you really intend to turn it all into lawn?
You may want to consider what will grow well in your sandy soil rather than embark on growing grass where they won't want to....
Have you been to the Pine Barrens Preservation Alliance demonstration garden?
Its not all just open space. I have a decent sized patio, a 14' (circumference) fire pit. I plan on making a decent sized area for the kid. Swingset, club house etc. but yes I was planning on planting grass. I cant afford sod so itll be from seed. I'm installing and irrigation system as soon as I solve the moss issue. I just want to know if I'm at a complete do over or if I can make whats there useable and how. I know next to nothing about this stuff. The irrigation system is plumbing. I understand plumbing lol.
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JosephsGarden
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I'd guess the sandy soil can use all the organic matter that can be put onto it. So if it was my place I'd just till and/or do whatever leveling is necessary and then plant the grass seed. If there are some areas that at still too shady or moist for grass to thrive the moss will continue to grow just like it always has regardless of whether or not you strip it down to bare earth and burn, strip, or poison it until the soil is dead. Moss spores are ubiquitous in that environment. They'll blow in from elsewhere and re-establish themselves in those areas where the grass won't grow. Areas with enough sunlight that are dry enough for grass to thrive will grow grass instead of moss.
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rainbowgardener
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Moss grows in conditions of insufficient sunlight, low soil fertility, compacted soil, dampness, and high soil acidity (low pH), none of which grass likes. Oak leaves contribute to soil acidity, so I would guess that you have acid soil. Sandy soil is generally infertile, so you probably have that. And with 17 big old trees you clearly had shade. You can till the moss in, but until you change those conditions, you will still have moss not grass.
So along with turning the moss under, you need to add organic matter (well aged composted manure, compost, mushroom compost, etc). With 9000 sq ft, that means literal tons of it. And you need to add a whole bunch of garden lime to bring pH up (if test shows I am right about the acidity). Tilling all that in, will fix the soil compaction problem as well. And you need to make sure that with six trees left, the area where you want grass gets a decent amount of sun. Since you have sandy soil and yet it is growing moss, there may be some drainage issues, which may mean leveling or otherwise dealing with why there has been so much dampness.
By the time you have done all that, it isn't too much different from the re-do people were telling you. But even bringing in new topsoil won't fix the problem, if you haven't dealt with all the moss favoring conditions.
So along with turning the moss under, you need to add organic matter (well aged composted manure, compost, mushroom compost, etc). With 9000 sq ft, that means literal tons of it. And you need to add a whole bunch of garden lime to bring pH up (if test shows I am right about the acidity). Tilling all that in, will fix the soil compaction problem as well. And you need to make sure that with six trees left, the area where you want grass gets a decent amount of sun. Since you have sandy soil and yet it is growing moss, there may be some drainage issues, which may mean leveling or otherwise dealing with why there has been so much dampness.
By the time you have done all that, it isn't too much different from the re-do people were telling you. But even bringing in new topsoil won't fix the problem, if you haven't dealt with all the moss favoring conditions.
Last edited by rainbowgardener on Wed Sep 03, 2014 7:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
For the kid space. If you are going to put in a swing set and playhouse anyway, just level that area, border it and put in rubber mulch. The rubber mulch is a soft landing spot for kids going down slides and areas under swings parked in lawns are usually just compacted dirt from all of the kid traffic. It won't require watering, or dealing with less than ideal soil. If it still gets some shade from trees, it would be more comfortable for people in the summer. You just have to rake up the leaves. BTW put in a picnic table, gazebo, and grill and you would have a space everyone in the family can enjoy.