Moss in Flower Beds

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Q: I have moss in my flower beds this year after 15 years of hard work. I also have bark in these flowers beds, that is what the rabbits have left me. I think the only way to remove this moss in the flower bed is rake it out and then turn the ground over. Can you give me some advise on this as it looks so, so unsightly in flower beds.

There are 2 schools of though in dealing with moss. The first is it is evil and nasty as it does not conform to our standards of neatness and order. And the second “hey it’s free and a wonderful ground cover”.

With the current bans on cosmetic pesticides in municipalities there are no available sprays or easy fixes you can use and so you will have to increase the drainage in the areas so that there is less moisture. You will do this by adding in a multiple of things, a little sand a little bark and a little
pumice. These will increase the porosity of the soil allowing water to move deeper into the soils. This must be accompanied by a pruning of the overstory (plants hanging over the area) so that more light is available.

More light + less water = less moss

I don’t believe moss is a bad thing!! Its green, free and a great ground cover. It does not damage the soil and will provide satbility to the area covering open areas that weeds may colonize. It does not need any special care or fertilizer.

My suggestion is to leave the moss and enjoy it.