{"id":23116,"date":"2023-11-27T11:21:48","date_gmt":"2023-11-27T16:21:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/?p=23116"},"modified":"2023-11-27T11:21:48","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T16:21:48","slug":"how-should-i-remove-moss-from-my-raised-beds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2023\/11\/27\/how-should-i-remove-moss-from-my-raised-beds\/","title":{"rendered":"How should I remove moss from my raised beds?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question:<\/h3>\n

I had a quite a lot of moss growing in my raised beds. I\u2019m sure the heavy rain didn\u2019t help. I am going to get the soil tested. What is the best course of action for the moss\u2014remove it or dig it under?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Answer:<\/h3>\n
Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional<\/em><\/div>\n

You’re absolutely right that your first step should be a soil test through the\u00a0UMaine Analytical Soil Laboratory<\/a>–you can request kits and get instructions for how to take the sample on their website, if you haven’t done it before. Moss in and of itself isn’t necessarily\u00a0a negative thing in the garden and\u00a0this year’s heavy rainfall no doubt contributed (as you suggest), but it does often serve as an indicator of potential underlying soil problems. Acidic soil, compacted soil, overly wet soil, and soil low in organic matter all help moss flourish, and all inhibit the best growth of your other common garden plants. You will probably get results back that your soil is a bit too acidic, and you’ll need to carefully add lime to raise the pH and annual doses of compost to boost the drainage, the structure, and the fertility, but don’t do any of that until you actually get the test. We don’t want people adding amendments to their garden unless they know their starting point and what specific deficiencies there might be; otherwise, you’re spending money and effort on guesses.<\/p>\n

As far as what to do with the moss itself, if it’s already dead and it’s not a big, thick carpet, I would say you can turn it under, but if it’s still green you should probably toss it into the compost to let it break down. It’s a perfectly safe addition to your soil (in fact, composted moss improves aeration, water retention and drainage, and soil texture), but too much green plant material turned directly into your soil can lead to nitrogen problems as decomposing microorganisms work away at it… and we’re already slightly suspicious of the soil chemistry in your bed!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: I had a quite a lot of moss growing in my raised beds. I\u2019m sure the heavy rain didn\u2019t help. I am going to get the soil tested. What is the best course of action for the moss\u2014remove it or dig it under? Answer: Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional You’re absolutely right that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[199,202,207],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ask","category-maintenance","category-soil"],"yoast_head":"\nHow should I remove moss from my raised beds? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/gardening\/2023\/11\/27\/how-should-i-remove-moss-from-my-raised-beds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How should I remove moss from my raised beds? - Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard - University of Maine Cooperative Extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Question: I had a quite a lot of moss growing in my raised beds. I\u2019m sure the heavy rain didn\u2019t help. I am going to get the soil tested. What is the best course of action for the moss\u2014remove it or dig it under? 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