With warmer weather here, it’s the ideal time to enjoy spending time in your backyard.
And if you take pride in your lush, green lawn, there is one unsightly culprit to beware of this summer — moss.
While it looks harmless, moss is one of the most common lawn weeds, known as a ‘silent grass killer’, that appears in the form of green, sponge-like patches between the blades of grass. What’s more, this is also a sign that your lawn is in need of urgent attention or repairs.
Typically, moss grows in poor lawn conditions, such as damp soil, excessive shade or in compacted soil
But if you’re unsure of how to get rid of moss, experts are urging gardeners to do this one simple thing to their lawns this summer.
What’s more, all you’ll need is this common cleaning liquid found in most households, that is safe to use and doesn’t contain toxic chemicals.
So what is this rather unusual lawn care hack?
Dish soap is the secret ingredient
It seems like dish soap can do so much more than just cleaning your dishes and making them sparkle!
Experts are now urging gardeners to pour dish soap onto their lawns this summer as a quick, non-toxic way to banish unsightly moss.
Typically, commercial repellents contain harmful toxins that, in turn, can kill beneficial things in your yard, such as insects, worms and bees — needed for pollination. This is the ideal way to kill moss without the need for chemicals.
What’s more, this easy dish soap and water solution is simple to do and takes no time at all. Simply mix 60ml of dish soap into 41/2 litres of water, put into a hand spray before going around your lawn and spraying patches of moss.
Before you start spraying however, always check the weather forecast as it’s best to spray during a period of no rain for 24 hours or more.
The last thing you need is for your homemade moss solution (and all your efforts) to be washed away.
Within the next two days, you should notice that your spongey, green moss will turn from a deep green to an orange-brown color, before it completely dries out and dies.
Alternatively, you could try mixing dish soap with white vinegar that is also known to kill moss and weeds.
“Mix around a pint of white vinegar with five teaspoons of salt and around a third of a teaspoon of dish soap into a spray bottle, and spray the base of any unsightly weeds,” advises Jonathan Creber, Commercial Director of Modern Garden Rooms.
So if you want green grass and a moss-free garden all summer, you may need to get out the dish soap.
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