MOSS - will rotting it down kill it ?

[bathjobby]

I have a lawn full of moss and plan to take it up and lay a new one (having removed the shading trees that caused the moss). I plan to treat it with moss killer before I take it up and then once the moss has blackened, take it up, turn the sods over and use them to build up a lower lever which will then have topsoil put on top and new turf.
Not sure how moss goes about its business, so the question is, will it rot down buried under more of its own and the topsoil, or is it likely to reappear at some time in the new top lawn ?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Softus]

...is it likely to reappear at some time in the new top lawn?

Um, reappear? After you've killed it?

 

[bathjobby]

Geee, thanks for that. Was it worth your effort !

 

[mlb3c]

my two cents worth here.....you can kill the moss in a variety of ways....you can move moss...but if you dont address the 'root' problem, then yes it will continue to reappear. You mentioned the trees as at least part of the problem.....do you have a lot of shade? Do you have good drainage? If you are going to go through the expense of putting down a new lawn.....at least think about addressing what has caused the moss to thrive in the first place.

 

[Softus]

Geee, thanks for that. Was it worth your effort !

Nice answer - just like sarcasm, but without being funny.

 

[Pushfit]

Hi,
Drainage is as important if not more so than shade. I understand that pH is also important as is soil compaction and fertility.

The first thing to do is to kill off the moss with a proprietary moss-killer, and then to rake out the dead stuff. As far as I remember reading, moss produces spores, which is why when you rake it out they always recommend that you rake from the edges of a patch into the center so that you don't spread the spores any more than you need to.

Then do your best to solve the causes of moss. Improve drainage and aeration by spiking the lawn and raking in sharp sand. Get a pH test kit from the local garden center to check whether you need to adjust that or not. Use a lawn fertilizer suitable for the time of year. All these things will help.

If you don't address these things then moss will grow just as well in your new lawn as it did in the old.

I think I would save the effort of turfing the old and moving it elsewhere, and instead deal with the problems in the old lawn, maybe even re-seeding, and use the topsoil to raise the level where it needs to be raised.

A Google search for "lawn moss" will bring up loads of advice.

Best of luck.

 

[noseall]

copper sulphate.