On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 11:17:22 -0700, in alt.home.lawn.garden you wrote:

Good day Jonh. Wow, I'd say you really don't like moss!

I don't mind some but this stuff has taken over my entire lawn. I'm
quite surprised. In some of the more densly shaded areas it's over 1"
thick.

Before you go all
buck wild with glacial acetic acid, I'd suggest that you would use
moss-out. It will work much better for your lawn (in the long run). If the
moss is very heavy, then thatching would be the cure your after.

Oh my thatching rake has been quite busy already !

To keep the out of your lawn, you first need to understand why you have
it. Moss is a cultural problem generaly caused by excess shade,

Unfortunately this isn't within my control. I have an absentee
landlord owning the home next to mine. She has at least 20 trees (oak,
black walnut and a towering magnolia tree that must be 75' tall). The
town refuses to bother her even though there is no denying that there
is some danger of animals and vermin living in the huge pile of
branches stacked along the south side of the deserted home.

high moisture levels, poorly drained or compacted soil, low soil
fertility, low or high soil pH, lack of air circulation or some
combination of the above.


All of the above ? Rocky soil over an underground stream.

Suggested corrections:
1: ph test the lawn area. Shoot for a 6.3 to 6.9 ph. Adjust soil ph if
needed.

I'm taking multiple samles to the lab this week for a full workup.
Given the penchant for the disposal of _anything_ into ones yard here
in Tennessee, I'm almost afraid what we'll find.

2: Thatch and overseed if moss is heavy, other wise just overseed/slit
seed.

Tried that last year. It's far worse this year.

3: Identify problem areas in your lawn area that may not be draining well
or otherwise compacted.

The soil isn't compacted realy as I have numerous subterranian miners
(aka, gophers and crawdads).

4: Fertilize the lawn area. Feel free to peek at this page for a better
understanding of fertilization.

http://ywgc.com/resources/faq/lawnfert.html

5: Mow the lawn area regulary at 2 to 3 inches.

I mow to 2" when the weather is cool and to 4" when hot.


JD
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