When to treat moss in a lawn to guarantee strong, green grass — just in time for summer

As we race towards spring, there’s plenty to be cracking on with in the garden — and knowing when to treat moss in a lawn is crucial at this time of the year.

Before you learn how to get rid of moss in a lawn, you’ll need to know when to do it — and finding the best time to treat moss could make all the difference to your lawn care regime.

Well, more like best times — plural. You can actually treat moss in a lawn in two seasons.

So, which seasons are those? It’s all down to the weather, and when the grass grows.

‘The best time to treat moss is during spring and autumn,’ says Chris McIlroy, lawn expert at The Grass People. ‘These seasons have the optimal mild and moist conditions needed to effectively treat moss and help lawns recover after treatment, as the grass is actively growing.’

Actually, we’re at just the right point in the year to get started now — so you can add it to your list of jobs to do in the garden in March.

Chris McIlroy

Chris is the technical product lead and in-house lawn seed expert for The Grass People, a grass seed company that champion their expert lead advice and high-quality seed. His advice is focused on sowing, mowing, and maintaining a perfect lawn, and how to overcome any lawn issues homeowners face.

‘Treating moss in early spring allows you to remove it before the growing season really kicks off and you complete other lawn care tasks, giving your grass the best chance to thrive,’ Chris explains.

Spring is the ideal time to sow grass seed, too, and a range of other March lawn care tasks — so if you've been wondering when to scarify a lawn, you can add that task to your list as well.

It's also the go-to season for treating moss in a lawn for Greensleeves’ managing director, Cheryl Harper.

‘This is a great time of the year for lawn renovation and addressing moss and thatch issues, as the grass is actively growing and can recover from treatments,’ she says.

Echoing Chris, Cheryl explains that the rules around when to treat moss in a lawn are all about those perfect conditions. That's why moss removal is such a popular part of a March lawn care routine.

‘March and April can provide the optimum scenario for moss — the weather is typically cooler and moist, which is ideal for moss to thrive,' she explains.

'Removing as much as you can now helps prevent it from spreading during the growing season.’

It's an especially good idea to kill moss before you learn how to scarify a lawn.

'It’s much easier to scarify when you're removing dead moss, and it will ease the tension on the grass underneath,' explains Chris from The Grass People.

Actually, treating moss first is probably the safest option. 'If you scarify a lawn with live moss, you can unwittingly spread moss spores, potentially exacerbating the problem,' Chris warns.

Where to buy moss treatment for lawns

FAQs

What will kill moss but not grass?

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to get rid of moss in a lawn without harming your grass. You'll just need to stick to natural solutions.

'Gardeners should use a fertiliser with moss-killing ingredients to ensure it deals with the problem without harming grass,' says Chris.

'The key ingredient is ferrous sulphate, also known as iron sulphate. This doesn’t only kill the moss but can also enhance the grass’ colour, making it greener and healthier.'

Now you know when to treat moss in a lawn, you can get started very soon. Spring is just days away!