With all types of plants around us, moss is also a beautiful phenomenon of nature. Mosses are small and flowerless plants that typically grow anywhere.
As time passes, moss can start to grow over any solid surface. Many people think that mosses are a fungus. But in reality, they are just tiny plants.
They can grow typically within six weeks, but growing up to a decent height (0.1-2 inches) can take about 2 years.
Although mosses can be colorful and harmless, many people don’t like them. Mainly because a mossy place looks old and not taken care of, we will talk about what kills moss naturally?
Sadly, there is no way to kill moss completely. Next year, it will come back if you remove moss by an axe or any other tool, as the spores and seeds will remain on the soil bed.
But, there are more things to know; I will share some of my tricks to remove them naturally. So, let’s jump into the detailed section!
In this garden gild guides we’ll discuss the following:
- What Kills Moss Naturally?
- What Kills Moss Permanently?
- Is Bleach or Vinegar better to kill moss?
- Is Baking Soda Good to Kill Moss?
- How Do You Make Homemade Moss Killer?
What Kills Moss Naturally?
Although mosses have unique features, many people can find them annoying or ruining the view. Sometimes seeing unwanted moss near your house could become a matter of concern. There could be poor drainage, lack of sunlight, and many more reasons.
Unfortunately, unlike any other plant, moss cannot be removed naturally. As moss doesn’t need any water or nutrients, it can grow almost everywhere.
Moss is an example of how mother nature works. It is hard to expect a plant to survive without water and nutrients, but there are mosses.
Such a unique feature of mosses makes it harder to be removed them permanently. You might use a weed killer or any other ready-made solutions, but they are not effective against moss.
Even if you manually remove the mosses from a surface, mosses will eventually grow back after a few months.
But there are some natural ways by which you can get rid of moss.
1. Lack of proper care
To keep your surroundings clean, you need to do a proper cleaning. Lack of cleaning will provide chances for the moss to grow.
So pay good attention to your surroundings and take on the weekly cleaning of your lawn and surroundings.
In this way, you can find the spots that get mossy very fast and take prevention steps that I will tell you about.
pH of the soil:
pH is an expression by which we get to how much acidity or alkalinity is present in a solution. Send a sample of your soil to an expert and find out the pH level of your soil. Typically pH levels between 6 and 7 should be good energy to prevent moss growth.
If you are not used to pH scaling, the lower the reading, the higher acidic the solutions are. If your soil is more acidic, apply alkaline solutions such as lime or any alkaline products.
Improper soil condition:
Soil can lose too much moisture, providing a suitable environment for moss growth. Hard soil can become another reason to stop nutrients, water, and air from flowing into your soil.
Such problems can be easily solved by making some holes in the ground.
Lack of sunlight:
Soil does not require direct sunlight. Instead, what soil needs are water, air, and climate change. But lack of the sun can cause problems for you by providing a suitable place for mosses to grow.
Since moss doesn’t need sunlight, it can grow under shades. So clear out the surroundings to let sunlight reach your ground.
What Kills Moss Permanently?
Now that you know what encourages moss growth, you must know the best way to get rid of moss once you see it somewhere. There can be lots of solutions online which might seem legit.
But trust me, none of those can remove moss permanently.
Instead, I will give you the best and easy remedy for your problem. But do remember that the best time to remove moss is when they are growing. Once fully developed, moss can be hard to remove.
Soap and water:
With all the implemented ways to remove moss, soap and water did the best and quickly removed mosses. The trick is really simple. As the word soap and water sounds, that is exactly what you’ll be needing.
Just mix 2 spoons full of dishwashing soap in 1 gallon of water. First, make sure the mixture gets adequately mixed with water. Then spray the mixture over the growing moss in your area. It would be best if you apply the mixture of overgrowing mosses.
Spray evenly, and now begins the waiting game. You will see the result in only 24 hours. The mosses will dry and eventually die, turning the green mosses into brown. Now remove the moss, and it will look pretty good.
The reason why dish soap does so well against moss is because of its chemical composition. There was something called insecticidal soap, and it was used to get rid of insects in the past.
But the chemical components were different from the dish soap that we use today. Dish soap is made to remove stains and toughs from dishes, and they work harshly against plants.
The harshness of dish soap, when applied over plants, removes the natural oils that plants produce and covers their leaves to protect them from any harm.
When these natural oils are removed, the plants start to dry and ultimately die.
Using chemicals:
Many chemical solutions will work well against plants such as moss. You can find one in your local shops. You can even contact a professional for further help and guidance.
Is Bleach or Vinegar better to kill moss?
Bleaching powder and vinegar have their unique properties when dealing with stuff other than what they are made for.
Some have higher chemical composition, making it harder for plants to tolerate, and others have their distinctive features.
Below is a chart showing the differences between bleach and moss.
| Bleaching powder | Vinegar |
| Bleach can easily kill any plant, including mosses, by throwing it on plants. | Vinegar is not intended for use other than its sole purpose. |
| It will discolor the plants and spread the effect with the surrounding mosses. | It has some properties which can kill germs and bacteria. |
| Making a dilute solution can save nearby plants from turning pale. | It cannot be used as a substitution for chemical solutions or diluted bleach solutions. |
Is Baking Soda Good to Kill Moss?
Using baking soda to exterminate moss could be an easy and DIY project for anyone. It can be a fun thing to do, and more importantly, it is not harmful to the environment or the surrounding plants.
But do make sure to wear gloves before dealing with baking soda as it can harshly react with your skin.
You can adjust the density and quantity for making this solution by yourself. However, if there are too many mosses, consider making more solutions to apply properly.
The minimum quantity for making this solution is 1 tablespoon of baking soda should be mixed with 1 gallon of water. If the moss patches are small, consider mixing 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 quarter of water.
This should do the same effect but for smaller patches of moss.
And for large patches, make the solution by putting 8-10 tablespoons of baking soda mixed with 1 quarter of water. To increase the effectiveness, spread some baking soda over the moss. Doing so will help the reaction run better.
Try this method twice a day and the best time for this is in the afternoon when the moss patches are dry.
How Do You Make Homemade Moss Killer?
It is really easy and a fun project to do at your home. For example, you can simply make moss killers with the given instructions below:
Soap and water:
- Simple mix 1 tablespoon of dishwashing soap with 1 gallon of water.
- Apply over the mossy areas.
- Wait for 24 hours
- The mosses will dry, turning brown in colour.
- Remove the mosses.
Baking soda and water:
- Take 1 tablespoon full of baking soda and mix with 1 gallon of water.
- 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 quarter of water for smaller proportions.
- For larger proportions, 8-10 tablespoons full of baking soda with 1 gallon of water.
- Spray twice a day over moss patches.
- Remove them.
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Final Thoughts
Moss patches are a natural phenomenon. But sometimes they can become a problem for us.
So, it is justified to remove them when we don’t need them around us. And for doing so, trying the best, easy and effective methods are a must.
And don’t worry, doing so will not be harmful to our nature as moss patches can grow anywhere.
