While many people think moss only grows on shady, wet, acidic, compacted soils I have it growing on well drained beach sand in full sun and on the crushed dolomite Limestone) stone that covers my driveway as well as on the concrete blocks (north side of the house) that make the house foundation. Mosses grow many places and are a first stage plant that Ma Nature grows to provide soils lacking in organic matter some so higher order plants can grow.

I guess that the question that needs answering it what happens to lime in the soil? Does it react with acidic components in the soil then that's it? Probably. So there is nothing left for the rest of the acid there. I suppose needs more lime.

So tilling should help to get it down further in the soil which would help the root zone. Still the depth of tilling is less than a foot so not that much difference.

I've been thinking about putting lime now then on second thought being in a cold area with frozen soil thought better to wait until the soil had begun to thaw figuring it would just run off and go somwhere else. Fall or Spring are the recommended times for doing it.

Mulling further about this I think the amount of lime recommended allows for the fact that it is used up and more is there to react further.

Moss grows everywhere in this area.

Lime powder does not need to be tilled in. Even prilled doesn't necessarily have to be tilled in. The rain washes it in.

I have moss in my lawn, where it gets full sun, is on a well-drained gravelly soil, and the pH is about 6. So forget about moss being an indication of wet shady acid conditions. Moss grows wherever it wants here, and it most often seems to be an indication of lack of competition from higher plants.

You may need to lime more often than every two years if your pH is as low as you say. Have you checked the pH again? I'd do that first, before deciding that liming didn't work. Most people here lime every year.

I agree - the application of lime should be equally effective if just applied to the soil surface. It doesn't need to be tilled in. Before applying any more, I'd do another pH test in the area treated. Unless you are using it on your lawn, the pH of any planting bed so treated should be just about right - most plants will prefer a soil pH in the 6.0 to 6.8 range and PNW soils are naturally acidic.

If you are applying to your lawn, then yes, annual applications may be appropriate. Turf grasses prefer less acidic conditions to grow well and our naturally acidic soil tends not to be to their liking. Lime does not kill moss, it only helps to create conditions less favorable to moss growth and in lawns, promote the growth of the turf grasses by creating more suitable pH. As stated by others, in the PNW moss grows everywhere and is not necessarily a result of too acidic soil. Soil compaction, fertility and moisture content will have a huge bearing on how easily moss thrives in your garden but it is not necessarily a bad thing unless these conditions are too far out of whack. The prevelance of moss in lawns in this area is typically directly related to a combination of factors - compacted, infertile soil, high moisture levels (especially fall through late spring), light conditions and soil pH.

Okay, thanks!

Yes, it DOES seem to grow everywhere here! I was under the impression that it would reduce moss, esp on the surface, and here it is, more luxurious than ever! But I grew up in alkaline-soil areas -- don't see much moss in SoCal.

Yes, I will have more tests done, but will wait until a bit later in spring.

Sue

Take a good look at your soil. What is the humus (residual organic matter) level in your soil? A soil pH of 6.0 is acidic, 7.0 is neutral and while that may do a lot to inhibit the growth of moss that pH might also inhibit the growth of many other plants since the most nutrients in the soil are most readily available to plants in a pH range of 6.2 to 6.8.

Here in Madison, Wisconsin, we have moss growing in a few spots in our yard. These locations are partially shaded, and they tend to retain some soil moisture throughout the summer. However, the soil pH tests to 7.6. The moss is persistent, it comes back in the same locations every year.