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Author Topic: Moss problem perhaps.  (Read 2633 times)

Plantoid

  • Joined May 2011
  • Yorkshireman on a hill in wet South Wales
Moss problem perhaps.
« on: November 06, 2011, 08:05:49 pm »
managed to get out on the front garden this afternoon in glorious sunshine , real Tee shirt weather.
 Having clawed my way arong on 3/4 of it on mybhands and knees  taking out all the crud of two years neglect ( after hiting it with round up five weeks ago ) I found  the under bed full of nice bright green moss.

 There is a 100 mm perforated land drain some 1 mtr down with a soakaway bed and covering of 200 mm of clean crushed stone around it running through the area and I do know it is working for to outflow is nearly always issuing  running water .


This afternoon I fount that the top eight  inches of the soil were quite dry & crumbly .
 Now I know this patch has had over 3 tonne of straw based stable muck and straw based crew yard manure in it as well as about five tonnes of wood chip composted stable muck three years ago for I put it in there ,it has also had some 3 tonnes of sharp sand all well incorporated in it down to a depth of 30 inchesor more  .

 Seeing as we have also had lots of nettles on the area I feeel it must be fairly acid add to this the local coalmine margin blue clay and it starting to  look like it is too acid. ( i don't have another ph soil tester kit at present so it's just an educated guess )

Now I know I can heavily lime it this winter before , during and after having it rotovated. & by spring I should be getting a more balanced soil  ph.

Do any of you know if this rebalancing with lime will knock the moss on the head .
We live in soppy wet Wales  up on a hill 117 mtrs above sea level , the west winds are the first stop on the other side of the hills so  we tend to get the rain dumped on us to give us an  average rain fall of 36 inches plus  per year

Do  you guys and gals think the lime may solve the problem or do you think I may have to resort to chemical controls ?

 
International playboy & liar .
Man of the world not a country

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Moss problem perhaps.
« Reply #1 on: November 09, 2011, 08:40:03 pm »
the moss contradicts what you say about the crumbly soil       was the moss there before you roundup-ed it or did it come on because there is no competition now
leave the lime to the spring as well as the rotovating(all you will do is make the ground conditions worse)
what was the reason for burning it out with roundup
if you leave it till the spring the frost will burst the soil up and make it easier to work  :farmer:

Plantoid

  • Joined May 2011
  • Yorkshireman on a hill in wet South Wales
Re: Moss problem perhaps.
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2011, 11:33:27 pm »
Robert,
 i've been doing a bit of research , takling around and also thinking things through  ( all quite unusual?? ;D )

I suspect the moss arrived when the top growth gave it ideal shelter and moisture conditions . Killing off the crud  with round-up just exposed it and my clawing out the dead stuff just made it look worse.
.
Apparently the top soil that was used to fill the gardens front and rear after the place was built 33yrears ago came from near the pit head of a defunct now demolished coal mine according to one local old boy across the road .

It has never been cultivated except by me so the soil will still have a high sulphur content despite me wacking in tonnes of well rotted stable muck that has straw in it along with about three  tonnes of it that has wood pulp chip instead of straw.

Yes the soil is now quite crumbly from the manure & wood pulp/chip but the manures will also  have added to the acidity of the sulphur content and apparently that why the moss has thrived and taken over .

 I've put  almost half a 25 kg sack £10 at of so called garden lime a couple four days ago  ..... ( fine sand and crushed limestone ) on the beds then watered it in and got a two shot soil test kit so I can se what is what in another 26 days time.
 
I'll be getting a bag of builder lime this time though  ,no more of this lawn sand stuff .

 Now four days after liming the moss is starting to look as though it is being killed off and has started to take on a yellowish tinge.
 
International playboy & liar .
Man of the world not a country

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Moss problem perhaps.
« Reply #3 on: November 12, 2011, 02:26:01 pm »
there are two types of lime white kibbled lime this stuff burns (throat eyes and skin )and magnesium lime the yellow stuff if it is white it is the stuff that burns (you can make white wash with it)
the moss could be the result of the stable muck
with the lime you are better with a little often than to much at once if it requires lime
not all grasses last a lifetime swards do improve with reseeding :farmer:

Plantoid

  • Joined May 2011
  • Yorkshireman on a hill in wet South Wales
Re: Moss problem perhaps.
« Reply #4 on: November 13, 2011, 01:21:02 am »
Thanks Robert
International playboy & liar .
Man of the world not a country

 

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