Contents
Why moss grows in the country, and how to get rid of it
A green carpet on the ground, which can appear after heavy rains, can damage crops and ruin any flower garden. But moss in the country is easy to deal with.
If moss has settled somewhere on your garden plot, this means that the ground there has become very damp and dense, there is little sunlight for it, so the place becomes unsuitable for most crops. Except, of course, the family of mosses: for it swampy conditions are ideal conditions, and it will try to evict all neighbors in the garden, rapidly growing and depriving the soil of nutrients.
How could he get to your site and what to do about it? It’s simple: the soil is covered with moss due to spores carried by the wind, birds or insects on their paws. In addition to the ground, greenery covers the bark of old trees, grows on the roofs of houses, paths.
It is generally accepted that moss is a parasite. But sometimes it turns out to be very useful for gardeners: for example, it helps to increase the acidity of the soil and retain moisture when needed, or protects against pathogens. It is also appreciated by landscape designers, because the moss planted in the right place effectively complements the composition.
Why does moss grow on the site
First you need to find out what caused the growth of mosses on the site, and with this in mind, take on the sanitization of the summer cottage.
Waterlogged soil, stagnant groundwater.
Sour soil.
Shading of the site, lack of sunlight.
Lack or excess of nutrients in the soil, including due to improper plant care.
To get rid of an uninvited guest, you will have to apply a set of measures.
How to get rid of moss on the site
Soil drainage
Moss, by definition, has no roots, so it is easy enough to pick it up from the ground with a rake. This is the first thing to do when getting rid of the parasite plant. To prevent the spores from scattering and sprouting somewhere else, the moss must be collected in a bag and thrown away.
Next, we act on the contrary: the favorite soil of mosses is dense, damp. This means that we need to carefully dig up the ground, make drainage, drainage systems so that the site no longer becomes swamped. In the future, you should loosen the soil more often. There are many varieties of mosses, but if you have one growing on your site that spreads in even greenery, then draining the soil and sunlight will be enough to get rid of it. If the site is located in a lowland, then add drainage to the soil – sand.
Deacidification
A special type of moss grows on acidic soil – it has slightly longer shoots with a light green tint at the top and brown at the base. A mixture of sand and slaked lime or dolomite (limestone) flour will help to deoxidize the soil. The mixture is applied at the rate of 0,5 kg of lime (dolomite flour) per square meter of lawn.
You can also lower the pH of the soil with natural natural mixtures containing calcium: crushed chalk (100–300 g per square meter, depending on the level of soil acidification) or wood ash (100–200 g per square meter). It is recommended to carry out this procedure once a year – in autumn or early spring.
Mulching
In the beds between the rows, scatter armfuls of dry grass, straw, sawdust so that the moss has nowhere to grow. Level the ground so that crops are located on higher ground. And keep the plantings clean, remove weeds in time so that they do not create a protective shade for the moss.
Eliminate shadow
Moss will never grow in sunny areas. Therefore, we must try to get rid of the shadow. If a tree with a large crown grows nearby, then cut off the branches; remove construction and other debris on the site. In shady areas where it is impossible to provide sunlight, plant shade-loving plants that also love moisture: hydrangea, fern, astilba, heuchera – they will block the moss from growing.
Chemical treatment of the site
When there is no time to use natural mineral solutions to eliminate mosses, you can use ready-made preparations. But this method is used to remove moss from open areas, paths, stones, because chemistry cannot be sprayed next to trees and shrubs.
In spring or autumn, a general-purpose herbicide is sprayed on the site. Processing should be carried out in calm, sunny weather. After a few days, the moss will darken and dry out, and it is harvested with a rake. Another way to cope with a parasitic plant is with a solution of copper sulfate and potassium permanganate. Again, this method is suitable for open areas without cultivated plants.
Mechanical removal
The easiest way to get rid of greenery from surfaces, buildings, roofs, tiles, paths is to clean the moss with a stiff brush using a soapy solution.
Often the moss chooses old trees as its place of deployment. Since moss, as we have already said, does not have a root system, it does not threaten wood, but pests can hide in the growths of moss or spores of pathogenic fungi can accumulate. Therefore, fruit trees need to be cleaned of green pillows – remove the affected area of the bark with moss. The wound should be cleaned with sandpaper and whitewashed with lime.
If many garden trees are affected by “greenery”, then one cannot do without chemical treatment. But the procedure is allowed to be carried out only in early spring or autumn after the harvest is harvested, the leaves have already fallen, but frost is still far away.