How to Kill Moss & Lichen in Garden Beds

Kill Moss

• 1

  Scrape all of the visible moss off of the soil surface in your garden. Moss has no root system so it can be removed from the ground easily and, cleanly.

• 2

  Loosen the soil by gently tilling it. Be careful not to destroy the root system of your plants in the process. Moss thrives in compacted soil.

• 3

  Remove any sources of shade hanging over the garden. Moss grows best in shaded areas.

• 4

  Lay down ferrous sulfate around all of the spots where the moss was growing. This iron compound will kill the new moss and any remaining traces.

Kill Lichens

• 5

  Research the needs of the trees in your garden that have lichens growing on them. Find out proper pH and nitrogen levels. Lichens need plenty of sunlight to grow and they won’t get it if the tree’s foliage is thick enough.

• 6

  Examine how compact the soil is around the trees. If you have a very hard time digging in the soil surrounding the tree, there is a good chance that the tree is having a hard time expanding its root system far enough to reach the necessary nutrients.

• 7

  Loosen the soil with a tiller, and be careful not to damage any of the existing root system.

• 8

  Collect soil samples using a sample collecting kit. Send the samples into a commercial lab for nutrient and pH testing. Some trees need soil with a higher pH than others, and the nitrogen level needs to be different depending on the tree.

• 9

  Adjust the pH and nutrient level to better suit the tree, and the foliage should improve over time and drive out most of the lichens. Add lime to the soil to increase the pH, or coffee grounds and elemental sulfur to decrease the pH. Nitrogen levels can be increased by adding nitrogen-containing manures or compost to your garden.