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It is the time of the year again where we will be thinking about carrying out some form of moss control on both lawns and hard surfaces. Due to recent changes in legislation, we can no longer call some moss control products Moss Killers! They are now known as Biocides or Outdoor Cleaners, but as I’m sure you are all aware, they are exactly the same products, but have been relabelled. The aim of this blog is just to inform you all of the wide range of products that are available to control moss in a number of different situations.

For lawns, you can choose from either the granular or liquid route. In terms of granular products, we have Lawn Sand which is a powdered product containing 5.5% Iron Sulphate and also 5% Nitrogen, so it will blacken the moss and also apply a small about of Nitrogen to help the grass recover and fill in the gaps where the moss was. It should be applied at a rate of 135g/m², a 25kg bag will cover about 185m². The other granular product we have is Weed, Feed and Mosskiller which is a micro-granular blend of Iron and fertiliser, with a small amount of herbicide to control some weeds. The actual composition is 10-4-4 NPK, 3.5% Iron and 1% MCPA and Mecoprop-P. Like Lawn Sand, this will blacken the moss and give the lawn a general boost with the fertiliser, but has the added advantage of having the weed killer aspect that will control a range of the smaller lawn weeds such as Daisy, Plantain and Clover. It is applied at a rate of 70g/m², so a 20kg bag will cover nearly 200m².

In terms of liquid products, the first one to look at is Ferro-gem which is a straight liquid iron product. It contains 6% Iron, which is as about as high concentration as possible to keep in suspension. It will blacken the moss while hardening and greening up the grass. It contains no Nitrogen, so there would be no surge in top growth of grass. It is used at a rate of 10-20L/ha, so a 10L container can cover up to 10,000m². If you wanted to add a feeding aspect to a liquid moss treatment, there is a product called Nitro-gem which also has 6% Iron, but has a seaweed extract in it which gives it a 2% Nitrogen content. This means that it works in a similar way the granular Weed, Feed and Mosskiller as it will green up the grass and help it to grow over the patches where the moss was. 10L of this product will cover up to 350m².

There are also a couple of soluble powder products available which would be dissolved in water and then sprayed on or applied through a watering can. One of these is Iron Sulphate which comes in a 25 kg bag and contains 19% Iron. This is the best way to get high levels of Iron on to a lawn which will not only control the moss but will also help if you need to acidify an area or to correct an iron deficiency. It is also thought that using a high concentration iron product can help to suppress worm casts which are an issue on fine lawns and sports pitches.

Finally, for those of you involved with moss on golf courses, there is a product called Mogeton. This is a powder that you dissolve in water and then apply through a watering can using a fine rose or a dribble bar. Mogeton has an active ingredient in it called Quinoclamine which will be absorbed by the moss and then prohibit it from photosynthesising. It comes in a 750g pack which is enough to cover 500m².

For Hard Surfaces, there is a product called MMC Pro which will clear moss, algae and general grime from nearly all hard surfaces including concrete, tarmac, block paving, slabs, natural stone, uPVC and glass. It also has some residual properties, so can keep areas clear for up to six months if used at the higher rate of 1L of product to 4L of water. At this rate, 5L will cover 175m². One other product available for moss control on hard surfaces is one called New Way Weed Spray which is a completely natural product containing food grade acids and will kill a range of grasses and broadleaved weeds as well as moss. You use it at a rate of 1L of product to 3L of water and it comes in a 10L container that will cover 400m².

If anyone would like more information or prices for these products, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with our free technical helpline, where our friendly staff will be more than willing to answer all your questions.