Six Effective Ways to Get Rid of Moss on Garden Beds

Moss like to grow in a cool place, although some species have some tolerance to sunlight. Once moss decides to grow somewhere, it is hard to get rid of it. Moss is very tolerant and cold resistant, so it usually doesn't disappear easily.Fortunately, there are many ways to get rid of the moss on your garden beds easily. Although each of these methods may not be suitable for each situation, you should find at least one method that is suitable for you.

1. Remove by hand

Moss is very cold resistant. It lives longer than dinosaurs, and does not mind many common chemicals we use when removing unwanted plants. Therefore, you cannot treat it like other weeds.

Because moss grows very slowly, you can usually remove it by hand without too much trouble. Hand raking is the best choice, because it can remove moss and its thin and small roots. Therefore, it is very suitable for removing moss growing in garden beds.

However, if you do not have a hand rake, you can also use a fork. These are very effective in removing moss because they are similar to hand rakes.

You don't have to pull moss because it doesn't stick to the soil. Therefore, it is easier to pull out than other unnecessary plants. This should not be a hard gardening job.

2. Bury it

Moss needs sunlight to grow. Therefore, if you turn it over, it will stop growing and decay into the soil. This not only limits some of the work you have to do, but also helps put some nutrients back into the soil.

However, remember that some species of moss do not die when the sun is taken away. Instead, they just "sleep". In these cases, it is best to delete them, although you do not have to. However, moss may come back with passion, but if you stir it back.

However, this will prevent its spread. If you are taking care of your plant and notice some new moss growth, simply turn it over.

3. Add compost (or fertilizer)

Generally, a healthy garden bed should not grow a lot of moss. Moss usually grows in nutrient deficient soil, and other plants are difficult to grow. Therefore, if your garden has a lot of moss, this may indicate that you need to add compost or fertilizer.

Bryophytes prefer acidic soils of 5.0 to 5.5 for maximum growth. However, vegetable gardens prefer a pH range higher than 5.8. Therefore, if there is a large amount of moss, the soil may not be the best pH value for plants. (With a few exceptions; some garden plants really prefer a pH balance close to 5.0).

Fortunately, there are many ways to solve this problem. In general, you can add compost to fix the pH balance of the soil. This is by far the simplest and more effective method. However, you can also add Epsom, baking soda or other ingredients. However, it is easy to overdo these, so composting is usually the way to go.

The ideal soil/compost ratio varies from plant to plant. However, it is usually best to place about 20% of compost in the garden bed. It is best to mix them before sowing. However, if you notice moss growth, you can also add it later. You should not add more than 30%, because if you add too much, your soil may stop retaining moisture.

4. Trim

You should also trim the plants properly. Too much shadow on the garden bed will promote the growth of moss. If possible, keep the plants trimmed and growing upward, not outward. Of course, not all plants do this. Some of them are only made for outward growth.

Not only does moss indicate that there is no sunlight on the garden bed, it also indicates that the soil may be too wet for a long time. Of course, this is partly because there is no sunshine on the garden bed. This may also be a sign of over watering or soil mix. Some plants like moisture, but if kept under the same conditions as mosses, many plants will develop root rot.

You shouldn't just focus on getting rid of moss. You should also focus on getting the soil right to encourage plant growth.

5. Detergent

The detergent sprayed on it is toxic to moss. It will prevent sunlight from reaching the moss, which will make the moss sleep. Of course, it won't kill moss like other plants. You also need to avoid spraying plants with mixtures, as most plants cannot apply detergent on their leaves for a long time.

Fortunately, this is not always a big problem. In many cases, you can wash off the leaves of the plant immediately after spraying to soak the moss.

If you do this in the morning, the effect is best because you want the detergent to dry quickly. To make it easier to use, add the detergent into the water bottle with proper amount of water. You will find various ratios on the Internet. However, you do not have to be very picky about measurements.

6. Vinegar

You can use vinegar for almost anything. It immediately kills almost growing moss, although mature moss can usually withstand these chemicals. Concentrated vinegar sometimes works on mature moss, but this is usually an extra job that you do not need to do when considering the other options we have listed.

To work, vinegar should kill the moss within 10 minutes. After that, you should remove the moss from the bed. You do not want vinegar to seep into the soil because it may harm your plants.

Because vinegar is toxic to most plants, this is one of the least recommended methods. However, if the garden bed is currently empty, this may be a suitable option.

There are many ways to kill moss. However, the easiest way is usually to simply pull it out. Moss does not grow proper roots, so it is usually easy to remove it. You can simply rake the entire bed top to turn over the moss and prevent it from spreading. Without sunshine, moss will hibernate and stop growing. Although it won't die, you don't have to worry about it in these cases.

However, moss usually indicates something is wrong with your garden bed. Therefore, you may need to look at deeper issues. For example, the soil may be too acidic. It may also be too wet, or your plant may be overgrown with weeds.