Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeIn the Garden: You can take steps to eradicate moss from flower beds
Sue Goetz
In the Garden
During a recent stop at the Tacoma Home and Garden show, a pondering passerby stopped at the master gardener booth to ask what to do about moss.
After we heard the conditions of her yard, Millie the master gardener and I both smiled as we said, “Embrace your moss.” We also decided it would make a great bumper sticker for our climate: Sometimes moss just takes over spaces and wins, and it really looks OK.
The Pacific Northwest is a haven for moss. It makes itself home in every nook and cranny when the conditions are ideal. It’s romantic and beautiful as it climbs trees and decorates the woods.
In defense of mosses, they serve several functions in the ecosystem. They hold water, just like sponges. In the forest, they hold tremendous amounts to help fight seasonal drought.
Moss will grow in inhospitable areas, where not many plants thrive. If you find it in shady places where grass won’t grow, it’s probably just as well to simply enjoy it.
Not many shade groundcovers have the attributes of moss, like easy maintenance, low water needs and evergreen!
In flowerbeds and lawns, it can be a whole other matter. Many gardeners become frustrated with the yearly invasion and the control that consumes time and chemicals.
Removing moss works in the short term, but it will continue to come back as long as your flowerbed meets the moss’ criteria for growing conditions.
The first plan of attack is to understand why the moss shows up in the first place. Moss loves moist, shady spots with low fertility and poor drainage. Evaluate where it grows undesirably, and the odds are, one or all of the conditions exist.
You’ve got to treat the cause, not the symptoms.
Improve the aeration and ventilation, and decrease shade. Chemicals usually provide only a temporary fix, and they can be hazardous to fish, invertebrates and other vegetation.
When moss is present, a “healthy flowering plant” can reject moss, but not vice versa. Bulbs and perennials tend to grow through moss without a problem. Plants that die because of a moss invasion tend to suffer because they are planted in poor growing conditions or are suffering from a lack of nourishment.
Remember: Moss likes low fertility. After you dig and remove moss in flowerbeds, dig the soil and loosen the compacted areas. Remove any remnants of moss and debris.
When the soil is loosened, add a soil-building compost of at least 2 inches, and dig into the loosened soil. If possible dig 8 to 10 inches to incorporate it well.
The method is to help break up compacted soil and build a healthy, loose soil structure; plus, the compost will add natural nourishment.
Top-dress yearly with compost, and loosen the soil as needed from any compaction that may have occurred from heavy rains or walking on it.
Check out drainage problems. If water runs into your beds and puddles on top, add amendments, like sandy soil or pea gravel, to loosen heavy clay.
An even better solution is to build raised beds that will increase drainage as well as bring up the flowers to put on their show in-season.
One of the better solutions is to beat nature at her own game by planting competing groundcovers.
After you amend the bare soil spots with compost, fill them in with groundcovers that complement your flowerbed design.
Do not attempt to plant groundcover before you’ve taken the steps of aeration and fertility, or you will be back to a mossy bed again.