Gardening God Monty Don shares a genius tip to remove stubborn moss, so that ‘grass grows back thicker than ever’
ALTHOUGH moss isn’t necessarily a problem, it can be a nuisance for green-fingered gardeners wanting perfect lawns.
Luckily, the one and only gardening guru, Monty Don, has come to rescue yet again, revealing how to remove stubborn moss, so that the grass ”grows back thicker” than before.
Moss are tiny flowerless plants which have no true roots, which makes it easy for them to grow in areas which most other plants struggle to.
However, whilst moss creates valuable habitats for beetles and woodlice, it also competes with the grass, ultimately blocking light and restricting airflow.
Sharing how to tackle the issue, Monty Don, 68, detailed how to get the “best grass”, as well as the “answer to removing moss”, the Express reported.
According to the pro, “the best grass” likes a well-drained soil, and moss is “always a symptom” of poor drainage, which is only made worse by shade.
The answer here, the pro explained, is to work on the lawn at least once a year by sticking a fork in the ground giving it a good wiggle wiggling.
This process – which is known as aeration – should be repeated every six inches or so.
To complete the task, avid gardening fans should ideally use a garden fork, with B&Q offering one that retails for £10.99.
The whizz then also advised to mix up equal portions of sieved topsoil, sharp sand and sieved leaf mould or compost – however, if you do not have these, sharp or silver sand will do the job.
Green-fingered Brits can pick up sharp sand from Wickes for a purse-friendly £3.50 and silver sand from Travis Perkins, where it sells for £6.29.
Once done, spread the mix across the area you have made holes in and brush it all in using a stiff broom.
According to Monty, this will “help drainage and feed the grass”.
The 68-year-old gardening god also recommended that it’s worth giving the lawn a good scratch with a wire rake.
“This will get at all the overwintering thatch and moss, and let light and water get to the soil and to the roots of the grass.”
May gardening jobs
The Sun's Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine, has shared the tasks you need to crack on with in May.
GARDEN growth can go from nought to ninety in May, depending on the weather. The last UK frosts are generally seen at the beginning of the month, so all of a sudden there’s so much more to do and grow.
Plant out dahlia tubers
It’s a joy to finally plant out your dahlia tubers. Remember how big they can get – and space accordingly – anything up to half a metre apart.
It’s a good idea to put your support stakes in now instead of trying to work around them.
And make sure you include lots of well rotted manure or decent compost to feed it and then mulch to keep it moist and suppress weeds. They generally start blooming in July.
Final feed to Spring flowers
You can give a cheeky feed to all your remaining tulips and daffodils.
Although the majority of bulbs aren’t guaranteed to come back year after year any more, as long as you’ve left them to die back naturally there’s a good chance they’ll have stored enough energy to come back again. Tomato feed is fine.
Tie up climbers
Your clematis, honeysuckle and rambling roses should be well on their way by now – try to use plastic free string to tie them back into their support, or tuck them round each other to make sure they don’t sprout off in crazy directions.
Feed the lawn
It’s not too late to give your lawn a good feed.
Whether you use granular or liquid, it can give it a good boost to see it through the harsher summer months.
While mowing, don’t go too low with your cut length yet and never take more than a third off the grass height.
Get creative
It’s also time to get creative with hanging baskets and pots.
Trailing pelargoniums, which a lot of people call geraniums, and Begonias are a good, low cost way of getting lovely returning blooms throughout the summer in your baskets.
And pots can be planted with spring bulbs.
Don’t forget the greenhouse!
Give your greenhouse a good tidy and clean the glass inside and out.
The improved light will help plants grow quicker inside and tidying is good for the soul.
You can just use a household white wine vinegar and water solution – or even neat if you’re feeling spendy – which gives a really good shine.
Removing stubborn moss and algae from your decking
According to Allan Jeffrey, founder of Ultra Decking, the secret to removing algae from your decking is sitting in your kitchen cupboard already – white vinegar.
To make the decking sparkle like new, the pro advised to first use a firm brush to clear your decking.
Following this, Allan instructed to make your own DIY solution using white vinegar and water.
He said: “Just be sure to rinse with clean water afterwards and then dry to prevent stagnant water from being a breeding ground for additional moss.”
Fancy giving this hack a go? Shoppers can buy the cupboard staple for a mere 99p from Asda.