Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a weird thing going on with my lawn in my backyard which borders the woods, gets very litle sun, and the soil is quite moist. I first noticed the problem last Fall when raking-if I put any kind of pressure on the rake, I could easily rake up my lawn like a carpet-it was like there were no roots. Afraid I would tear up my lawn terribly, I raked VERY lightly and still there were spots where the grass would come up in clumps. This past Spring, it was the same-I added a ton of lime thinking that might help, and it seemed to-but I just mowed the back lawn tonight and I notice the same thing happening again-almost like a thin layer of moss that the grass grows out of, but it's not rooting to the ground. Any ideas or thoughts about what this might be and how to correct it? Thank You In Advance, Bob

ANSWER: I do see this all the time.  Really, the area is likely just too shady.  Even with the best "shade" seed, edges of wooded areas are often still too dark.  The consequence is that the soil doesn't dry out much and the grass can't produce the nutrients for a deep root system via photosynthesis.  The moss loves the moist shady soils, so it thrives there.

You are going to need to either get some tree work done to get more light on the subject, OR go with a more shade tolerant ground cover like Pachysandra.  Unfortunately, there are no treatments that will make the grass need less sunlight.  It's a bit like taking vitamins to stave off heat stroke.  No amount of good nutrition will change the fact that your body can only take so much heat.  

Good luck!  Let me know how it goes.

-C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com

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QUESTION: Thank you very much for the quick answer, and I'm sure the lack of sun has something to do with it, but even where the lawn gets a decent amount of sun I see the same thing happening (although now that I'm writing this I'm thinking I notice the problem in the early & late growing stages-not so much in mid-summer when the sun's higher in the sky and more on the lawn.) Do you think it would be worth adding more lime this Fall? It did seem to help when I added it in the Spring, but that may have been because the sun was getting higher in the sky. Thanks again, Bob

Answer
I think the problem is all related to sun, though I admittedly haven't had a chance to see your property in person.  The Limestone can't hurt, but I think you are correct in your analysis that the improvement was likely due to the increased sunlight.  Keep in mind too that the leaves fill in on the trees over the season, thereby increasing the shade and resulting in end of the year decline.  Only tree thinning will help you out there.

C.J. Brown
www.TheLawnCoach.com