Question
QUESTION: I have several areas where there is a dark green very hard growth on the soil. A sample was taken to our local Master Gardener site and they said they thought it was Liverwort.  This has just occurred in the last 3 years or so and it is popping up at various places in the yard.  If you try to remove it, it is about an inch thick, by that I mean, the growth and the soil that clings to it. We have tried "Moss Kill" with little or no effect.What can we do to get rid of it?
Thank you.

ANSWER: Hi Sue, First, check you pH.  It should be around 6.5 to 7.  Adjust it if you need to.  Then aerate your soil to a depth of 3-4 inches. If you can till it, do so.  If not, rent a core aerator or have a service aerate you soil. If you can, spread a thin layer of leaves or compost over the surface before it's aerated.  Some will be driven into the ground by the machine, the rest will mix with the soil removed and flow into the holes with the next rain.  
Algae and moss on the soil surface are almost always a sign of compacted soil.  Check you pH yearly.  Jim

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QUESTION: Should the liverwort be removed before tilling/aerating the soil? I don't want to cause it to spread even more than it has already.

Answer
I would not try to remove it. Loosening the soil and correcting the pH should make it go away.  Incorporating it into the soil just adds some organic matter.  If this area is near the rootzone of trees, you'll probably have to repeat the process every few years.  Jim