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Moss, Ferns & Cryptogams

moss lawn

18 years ago

I am intrigued by the idea of a moss lawn. We have a large lawn, most of which is in dappled shade from sunup to sundown. A previous owner clearly attempted a grass lawn, but it is quite raggedy. English ivy and some generic-looking ferns are flourishing, as well as the alpine strawberries I planted this year. In examining the lawn, I notice that we already have a few patches of moss. How can I encourage those patches to take over, and perhaps push out the grass (and ultimately take over the ivy patch as well)?

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Comments (3)

waltergoose
18 years ago
The only things I could suggest would be treating your lawn with products made to turn soil more acidic, since most moss likes acidic conditions. you might also try using roundup to kill the grass because I've heard moss is fairly resistant to roundup. Also avoid watering the moss with tap water if it has a lot of lime in it.

Please note these suggestions are only based on what I have heard from other people and I have no experience with any except watering moss with tap water. Hope it helps.
poochy1234
18 years ago
I love moss. I have collected alot from the woods and have used the "beer in a blender" method to propagate. What a mess! Any suggestions for getting a smooth moss surface?
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spider
18 years ago
Hi' not to long ago the garden diary on HGTV did a show where this man did his lawn in moss, I know that you have to keep the leaves off of it' you can go to HGTV.com and type in moss lawn or garden diary and see what have.
Good luck - spider

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