All about Moss and Putting Greens

Over the years, artificial turf has been very popular, especially in Southern California, as it has been regarded as maintenance-free, with the advantage of not needing to conduct edge trimming, mowing, and irrigation adjustments. Although synthetic turf/putting greens offer many benefits, it is a surface that can also catch dirt and contaminants, microbes, and bacteria. This is very true especially if you have installed synthetic turf putting greens, as most of the putting green surfaces are manufactured without drainage holes in the backing.

Due to the lack of drainage holes on putting greens, they can remain stable through their warranty. This is because excessive water flowing through compacted soils may damage the sub-base resulting in the settlement and show deformity in the putting surface. Due to the moisture not finding any where to go, it will end up staying inside the fibers resulting in the build-up of mold and moss in the putting green surface, causing irregular ball roll. Moss has become more of an issue on putting greens in part because of low pile heights. New colonies of moss can continue to develop if the moss becomes established.

Shade and moisture

Shade and moisture are two factors that cause moss in putting greens. Most putting greens installed in shaded areas usually get affected with moss. This is because moss can easily grow in conditions where humidity and excessive moisture are present. And moss can still grow during cooler temperatures. This is because it does not take warm temperatures for moss to start to damage the turf, as long as the surface is moist and exposed, moss photosynthesizes all year. It has shown that reducing moisture can directly reduce moss growth and spread.

The occurrence of mold and moss will start if your artificial turf is always wet as well as  hard water deposits will bond and stain the fibers. This is why it is important to keep your putting green surface as dry as possible to avoid such issues.

Moss killers

Some of the moss killers that can successfully remove moss and mold include:

• Liquid biodegradable moss removal soap
• Distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar with one gallon of water will also work.
• Household bleach diluted with water. Be careful where you apply it, as it can be dangerous to live landscapes and pets.
• Moss Out
• Commercial-strength Mold Off
• Neutral pH balance is a safe option for the environment for tough mold and moss problems. Also, they are safe for use around humans and pets.
• It is important to read all application instructions and MSDS sheets and take note of all vegetation, pets, and humans when applying chemicals whether they are organically safe or not.

Moss removal

With your water hose, flush the surface while power brooming it at the same time, you might require some extra hands to accomplish this. Allow drying. The process may require to be performed multiple times to remove all the moss and again, allow drying.

Apply moss killer as directed into the surface of the putting grass early morning or evening, when the temperature is cool so that it can penetrate to the base of the turf product. Leave it for 24 hours, in case the putting green is all covered with moss, allow the surface to dry, and repeat.