You’re not alone if you have moss in your lawn. In the Pacific Northwest, we get a lot of calls from homeowners who have tried and failed to get rid of moss in their lawns. Why does moss love to grow in our yards and why is it so hard to remove?

Moss is a native plant in the PNW, and our environmental conditions of heavy rainfall, a lot of shade, and acidic soils are perfect for growing moss. However, you may want more lawn in your yard and less moss. What can be done?

If removing moss from your yard is your goal, you must first understand why moss is growing there. Next, you’ll need to change the conditions from “moss-loving” to “grass-loving”. Here are s...

The dry, hot weather is here and it’s time to make sure our gardens stay hydrated. Our plants are happily growing, developing fruits, and getting their buds and branches ready for next year. The blessing of the summer sun spurs this growth, but without water all development can come to a grinding halt. Water helps your plants transport nutrients and is critical to photosynthesis. Additionally, a well-hydrated plant is better at fending off diseases and pests than one under drought stress.

Today we’ll be sharing general tips for watering the garden, but if you’re concerned about your lawn, we have a blog about that here. Quick tip for lawns: if your lawn has already browned ...

You’ve finally decided to take action to fix your lawn this year. But you’re wondering if it needs dethatching. What is thatch anyway, and is it a problem?

Thatch is the build-up of old grass roots and organic debris where the grass stems meet the soil. The photo below shows a layer of thatch measuring just over 1 inch. (Image adapted from the University of Maryland Extension ). Healthy lawns can have a thin layer of thatch (less than ½” thick) and still thrive. However, excess thatch gets in the way of water and nutrients reaching the soil and feeding the roots.

How do you know if you have too much thatch? To measure the thickness, first, find the brown layer just bel...

In an area dominated by mossy forests, it may seem like lawns require too much maintenance. It’s hard to believe that there were once 180,000 acres of native grasslands here. We’re down to 3% of their former glory, and while there are still a few grasslands to visit, our area is predominantly a lowland forest ecosystem in Western Washington.

When one thinks about beautiful, rolling, grassy fields they are so inviting:

Source: The Nature Conservancy. Marathon Grasslands Preserve in Texas.

However, grasslands are very different from the lawns we cultivate in our yards. To highlight 2 monumental differences; in native grasslands the grass is allowed to live through its full cycle, and ...

One of our top questions is, “How much should I water my lawn?” The short answer is: Lawns need 1 inch of water per week to stay green. That is a combined total of rainwater and water from your sprinkler. The general rule of thumb is to water infrequently, but deeply.

If you are happy with that answer, you can supplement your knowledge with an article from the Seattle Times, “How much water is too much for your lawn?”

If you really want the lowdown on watering lawn grass, the answer is… “Well, it depends.” It depends on 1) grass type, 2) site conditions, 3) soil texture and structure, 4) evaporation and 5) root depth.

Let’s start by combining #1 ...