About The Long Island Gardener Expertise Do you know the wrong fertilizer will keep your plants from blooming?
Do you know that too much Nitrogen can kill your grass, even if it does not burn the roots? Do you know that Roses need a LOT of Nitrogen to bloom -- and why is that?
There's some complex chemistry in those plant foods. The secrets behind N-P-K are the key to the ultimate lawn, the the biggest flowers, the most fruits and vegetables. And if you don't get it right, you could be sorry.
I'll show you what you did wrong, and how to fix it.
Experience Homeowner with gardens indoors and outdoors, lawns back and forth. I wrote my first gardening column for our college newspaper, teaching roomates about the right way to feed those windowsills gardens. Today I look for challenges. Organic Fertilizers are the key to proper feeding of all our plants. Can you make your own fertilizer? Some people think so -- but there are side effects. I have been there, done that for 54 years and there is nothing like the voice of experience when it comes to Horticulture and Fertilizers.
Publications Numerous and sundry but only in college did I write about plants.
Education/Credentials B.A., Botany and Mass Communications.
Question I live in Oregon and it rains allot. But even though that means green grass I also have allot of moss in my yard is there something I can add to get rid of it?? I thought lime might help but I'm not sure?
Answer It's not unusual for patches of Moss to appear on Lawns when conditions are right. Gardens Alive has offered a product over the yeras called 'Moss Aside':
www.gardensalive.com
I have never found it necessary to get rid of Moss -- I'm actually testing ways to grow it -- but I have dealt with Gardens Alive many times and I think they have some excellent things on the shelf that won't make anyone sick. Moss Aside, they say, 'uses a blend of naturally occurring fatty acids to kill unwanted Moss, algae, lichens and liverworts within hours.' Fast enough for you?
An organization called the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides describes the unique problem of getting rid of Moss, a plant with no roots, no vascular system for getting nutrients around, and does not make seeds:
www.pesticide.org/pubs/alts/moss/mossinlawns.html
NCAP zeros in on the cause of Moss in the garden, boiling it down to a few simple details: 'The most common conditions that lead to Moss problems are a lack of Soil fertility, acid Soil, dense shade, compacted soil, wet Soil and injured turf.'
Lack of drainage would exacerbate the problem. Other Moss-enhances: Acid Soil. Shade. Lots of moisture. All of these create a very comfortable environment for Moss to grow.
Moss can become troublesome on Lawns. But killing it is only a temporary measure. Where there's moisture and inefficient draingae, there's almost always Moss. Solve the moisture problem by paying special attention to the drainage issue. It's that simple. Remember, Moss has no roots. It can't live without substantial moisture.
Lime tends not to affect these things. Lime acts very slowly, and has a very small affect on pH. Organic matter will raise the quality of the Soil you have, and improve drainage, maybe even enough to scare away more Moss. A Soil Test is also in order. Thanks for writing.
