Inundated by MOSS.

Kentucky bluegrass, Fescue, Rye and Bent, etc
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swami7774
Posts: 306
Joined: August 13th, 2010, 9:42 pm
Location: Zone 7A(Cape Cod, MA)
Grass Type: Some tall fescues, along with Bedazzled, Bewitched, Blue Velvet.
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Inundated by MOSS.

Post by swami7774 » November 29th, 2018, 12:37 pm

We here in southeastern MA (& Cape Cod) have had an extremely wet autumn, which has left my lawn with moss everywhere—even sunny areas. I’ve spot-treated several areas with moss granules to very little effect. Should I keep hammering it with that stuff, or am I wasting my time? Does moss live through the winter?
A related question: I’m planning to apply urea as a fall/winterizer, but will that encourage even more moss?
Thanks in advance.

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andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Inundated by MOSS.

Post by andy10917 » November 29th, 2018, 12:54 pm

Moss is a bottom-dweller - it only does well in situations where the grass can't thrive and out-compete it. Long-term, you have to figure out why the grass isn't thriving, but here is a technique that I have documented many times here: use 3-4 oz of Dawn dishwashing liquid per gallon of water, and spray (with a backpack or pump-up sprayer) the dilution onto the moss every 10-14 days - it will turn brown and then die. Now, will it be active enough this time of year to absorb the dilution and die? I'm not 100% positive on that. But it works well as a short-term fix to buy you time. It will come back if you don't locate the underlying problem and fix it...

swami7774
Posts: 306
Joined: August 13th, 2010, 9:42 pm
Location: Zone 7A(Cape Cod, MA)
Grass Type: Some tall fescues, along with Bedazzled, Bewitched, Blue Velvet.
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Inundated by MOSS.

Post by swami7774 » November 29th, 2018, 1:07 pm

The moss is popping up in areas where the grass HAS thrived. It’s a puzzler.
What should I do about applying urea?

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andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Inundated by MOSS.

Post by andy10917 » November 29th, 2018, 1:11 pm

I would apply it.

swami7774
Posts: 306
Joined: August 13th, 2010, 9:42 pm
Location: Zone 7A(Cape Cod, MA)
Grass Type: Some tall fescues, along with Bedazzled, Bewitched, Blue Velvet.
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Inundated by MOSS.

Post by swami7774 » November 29th, 2018, 1:19 pm

Roger that. I’m going to take advantage of the next few days of rare sunshine to hammer the moss with the Dawn mixture. I haven’t yet applied lime, which I will probably do as well.


swami7774
Posts: 306
Joined: August 13th, 2010, 9:42 pm
Location: Zone 7A(Cape Cod, MA)
Grass Type: Some tall fescues, along with Bedazzled, Bewitched, Blue Velvet.
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Inundated by MOSS.

Post by swami7774 » November 29th, 2018, 3:41 pm

I just mixed up 2 gallons of Dawn Ultra and water and sprayed some mossy areas. I’ll see how it works before buying the more expensive granules. Dawn is certainly cheaper!

Green
Posts: 6837
Joined: September 14th, 2012, 10:53 pm
Location: CT (Zone 6B)
Grass Type: KBG, TTTF, TTPR, and FF (various mixtures)
Lawn Size: 10000-20000
Level: Experienced

Re: Inundated by MOSS.

Post by Green » November 30th, 2018, 1:23 am

To add: Certain times of the year moss is a bigger issue due to the low sun angle. Definitely right now. That said, I had some moss in bare spots during the high Summer heat, and direct sun, too. The grass nearby looked like it was creating just enough shade for a bit of moss.

swami7774
Posts: 306
Joined: August 13th, 2010, 9:42 pm
Location: Zone 7A(Cape Cod, MA)
Grass Type: Some tall fescues, along with Bedazzled, Bewitched, Blue Velvet.
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Inundated by MOSS.

Post by swami7774 » November 30th, 2018, 1:50 pm

andy10917 wrote:
November 29th, 2018, 1:11 pm
I would apply it.
On the web, I’ve found an application rate of 1 pound/1,000 square feet. Do you concur?

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andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Inundated by MOSS.

Post by andy10917 » November 30th, 2018, 2:22 pm

The "standard" amount of Urea (46-0-0) for the last application is 2 lbs/K - this delivers just short of 1 lb/K of Nitrogen (2 lbs * 0.46 = 0.92 lbs/K Nitrogen).

swami7774
Posts: 306
Joined: August 13th, 2010, 9:42 pm
Location: Zone 7A(Cape Cod, MA)
Grass Type: Some tall fescues, along with Bedazzled, Bewitched, Blue Velvet.
Lawn Size: 20000-1 acre
Level: Some Experience

Re: Inundated by MOSS.

Post by swami7774 » November 30th, 2018, 2:24 pm

Roger that. Thanks!

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