moss problem on Kent lawn

[SparkyTris]

Got a large garden (about 1 acre split into 4 lawns) on the South-facing side of the North Downs in Kent which I have recently inherited. The ground is high up (about 130m ASL), on a medium slope and the soil is typical Kent; pale brown, vy chalky and clayey. That said, the ground does not *appear* to hold a lot of water after rain (mainly due to slope I presume). Moss has started to become a real problem on the lawns in the last few years. I treated the lawns with moss-killer/lawn enhancer in summer 2004 which seems to have killed the many thistles I had, but the moss is as bad as ever.
The last few days I have been raking one of the lawns - backbreaking work - but a lot of moss has come off, leaving me with bare earth in some places.

The grass is and has been cut close every summer that I remember (at least 20 years), and in recent years my old man used a flymo on it, which I think has caused/exacerbated the moss by depositing cut grass straight onto the lawn which was not removed. I prefer using a collector-mower but this is hard work and also the moss is so thick now that it is stalling the decrepit collector-mower.
In places, the lawns are more moss than grass.

On the east & west sides of the lawns are margins of trees and the moss is noticeably denser at the Eastern margin (shadow?) but generally the lawns are very exposed to sunlight.

what are recommended courses of action for encouraging grass and discouraging moss? am I right to be close-mowing? is a flymo better than collector?

 

[Min]

I am no expert but also have lots of moss in my lawn and have done lots of reading on the subject.

One school of thought is that you make the lawn more alkaline (using lime) and reseed with a tougher grass seed (eg rye) that likes alkaline conditions. Moss needs it more acid, so making it alkaline and reseeding means the grass can compete with, and beat, the moss.

So I am going to lime my lawn this month and see what happens. I don't have the time this year to scarify and reseed. I'll let you know later in the year if there is any improvement.

Take note - the gardening books all say 'DO NOT USE LIME WITHIN SEVERAL MONTHS OF APPLYING OTHER FERTILIZERS AND PREPARATIONS'

 

[mrgrumpy]

What you have to remember moss is a symptom of a run down lawn. The only way to effectively rid moss is to find the cause. This can be many things...over acidity, waterlogging, compaction of soil, too much shade, too freely draining soil. There are about 3-4 types of moss each has it's own cause. Suggest you find a good lawn book for reference.
Who said gardening was easy!

 

[Min]

I would love to identify my moss and its cause - can you recommend a good book? I am forever going into book shops and looking up 'moss in lawns' in the index but haven't found a good, comprehensive guide yet.

 

[masona]

I would love to identify my moss and its cause

Poor drainage, need a lot of loving care such as raking, aerated regulary with sharp sand with filling the holes etc.

 

[mrgrumpy]

I would love to identify my moss and its cause - can you recommend a good book? I am forever going into book shops and looking up 'moss in lawns' in the index but haven't found a good, comprehensive guide yet.

Sorry it's taken so long to get back! The best garden books are usually the simplist. When I was at college, I spent a fortune on horticultural books. But now belive it or not, if i'm not familiar with a garden problem, my first port of call, I look in my £4-99, 'The pocket garden troubles expert' by Dr. D.G.Hessayon, ISBN 0-903-50554-1. Good for basic problems...like moss.