A GARDENING whizz has shared a 39p hack for banishing moss from your lawn this summer.
Moss can be a real problem as it competes with grass, blocking out sunlight and stealing viral nutrients.
This not only inhibits growth and encourages disease, it looks pretty unattractive as well.
Moss can reach your lawn through spores in the air, which, when settled can grow extremely fast.
However, there is a cheap and simple way to fix this.
Sharing her moss-related conundrum on the Gardening Hints and Tips Facebook page, one person said: “My grass has a lot of moss coming through.
“Anything I can use without damaging lawn.
“Also, any recommended fertilisers to boost its health?”
The post was littered with helpful responses, from avid gardeners who have faced similar problems.
One person said: “Iron sulphate is used to green and toughen up grass as well as to kill off moss.
“No need to bother with fancy moss killers, this works like magic.
“In two to three days the moss has died.
“Then you can scrape the blackened moss out and enjoy your green green grass.
“You just need to dilute the iron sulphate correctly and not overdo it – too much is no good.”
Adding to this, another person said: “Sulphate of iron will kill it off overnight. Use a watering can to put it on the lawn.
“It will go brown but the moss can then be raked off the lawn. Sulphate of iron will also make the grass greener and thicker.”
The Sun's Gardening Editor Veronica Lorraine, has shared the tasks you need to tackle this July in your garden.
1. Prune Wisteria
You should only prune back Wisteria twice a year – and July – or mid summer – is one of those times. After flowering cut back long side shoots to around seven buds.five or six leaves.
2. Pinch out tomatoes
Your tomatoes should be really picking up – so pinch out all the side shoots without flowers – and remove all the leaves that are shading the tomatoes – this will give them maximum light and energy.
3. Keep weeding
Hand weeding and hoeing the surface of the soil will keep your weeds under check.
4. Feed Dahlias
To keep Dahlias flowering until Autumn, you must keep feeding them weekly with a liquid fertliser high in potassium – which encourages blooms.
5. Keep deadheading plants
Keep up with deadheading your bedding plants and perennials – so they keep coming back for the season. With roses make sure you’re deadheading back to a set of five leaves, giving you the best chance of them flowering again.
6. Check on your pond
If you’re lucky enough to have a pond – make sure it’s clear of algae, which can really bloom when the sun beats down.
7. Feed your lawn
Whether that’s with a liquid feed or granules. If you’ve chosen granules try to get them down before the rain comes, so they soak into the soil.
8. Tend to strawberry plants
Cut the leaves off strawberry plants after you’ve picked them – leaving the crown untouched – which should help with next years fruit.
9. Sow extra seeds
July weather is a great time to sow seeds as the warm soil and sunshine is great for germination. Try carrots, winter broccoli and other brassicas.
10. Move young plants into soil
Get any young plants you’ve got left in the greenhouse – like courgettes – into the soil.
A third person recommended: “Use two and a half tablespoons of sulphate of iron, dissolve in one litre of hot water then make up to two gallons with cold water.
“Using a watering can sprinkle over the mossy area. In two days the moss will die and turn black so you can rake it out.
“The sulphate of iron will actually feed the grass left leaving it greener for you.”
Iron sulphate can be picked up from a variety of garden stores, and is available from Amazon for £3.99.
However, since you only need a few teaspoons for the magic to work, you should be able to banish your moss for less than 50p.
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