On 05/07/2012 11:56, Zo wrote:
Hi there.

My garden used to be a pretty easy going plot but this last year I'm
over run with lichen in most of the borders. It's growing between
practically every plant now, despite me scraping the soil off to the
depth of two inches or more in some places.

It begins as a greasy looking black slick and then turns into a bright
gren lichen (not the yellow/white stuff you get on patios)

It isn't a lichen then. More likely a slime mould and/or liverwort. They
appear when the ground is completely sodden with water and stays
permanently damp. Drought will see them off.

Is there any product on the market that I can use that will kick it into
touch without damaging the many plants that are surrounded by it now?

Many thanks in advance.

You could try lawn sand on it which selectively damages primitive plants
chlorophyll but I don't hold out much hope. At the moment just be glad
that your plants are not floating away. Yesterday travelling in North
Yorkshire I went through a village with inches of water on the road
where everyone was standing outside in the rain. It only became clear
towards the end that this was because their houses were lower than the
road and a river of mud was running out of their front doors.

Today is supposed to be even worse with an amber alert. It is very dark.
Under these conditions moisture loving plants have the upper hand.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown