On Sun, 19 Jan 2003 15:08:31 -0000, "Richard Mellor"
wrote:

Can anyone advise on a suitable moss killer for both lawns and driveways.

Can't help you with the driveways but moss in a lawn is a sign of
poor growing conditions. You can control the moss via cultural
practices, though I'm not sure you can totally eliminate it,
however.

Moss is generally indicative of...

a. poor drainage.

b. poor aeration of the soil.

c. excessively acid soil.

d. low fertility.

e. shade.


Poor drainage is hard to deal with, but installation of land
drains can correct it. Correcting drainage problems will help
with aeration problems.

The others are easier: run one of those hole-punching power
aerators over your lawn to get air into it. Apply lime. And
fertilize.

I don't consider shade a problem, just a contributory factor;
take care of the other problems and shade is not an issue.

I've been using dolomite lime myself for a long time, because our
soils here are deficient in both magnesium and calcium, but it is
rather slow to act. I think I'm going to switch to ground
limestone or agricultural lime for a while in order to get the pH
up a little more quickly.

We're having a very dry winter along the Pacific coast this year,
and since my lawns are, unusually, not totally waterlogged this
year, the worms are having a field day. I know a lot of gardeners
don't like worm casts disfiguring the lawn, but I view them as a
sign of better soil conditions, and think that the aeration the
little buggers provide only do good.

I'd like to believe that leaving the clippings on the lawn this
last year has also encouraged the worms.

Yes, I have a mossy lawn too, but it is my hope that by taking my
own advice the moss will recede...maybe.

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada