Moss on soil

[DazzerelliParticipant]

Hi Charles, I’ll be adding 2″ of well-rotted horse manure to my allotment any time now. The soil is clean and weed-free. However, I noticed that moss is growing on the surface of the soil in quite a few non-shaded areas. Is this telling me anything about the soil?

Cheers,

Darren

[charlesModerator]

 I have a few mossy areas too, mostly in shady areas and after such a damp year. Some people say it suggests acid soil but I am not sure of that and have never found it a problem: one year I scraped some off to compost but now I leave it and it just comes and goes a bit. A light hoeing in dry weather reduces its vigour.

How has your no dig plot been this year Darren? I have the impression from my experiment and comments of other gardeners that unisturbed soil has enjoyed a good year in compsrison to dug soil.

[DazzerelliParticipant]

I have a plot at home that has not been dug for 4 year. Harvests are still improving each year which encourages me to make sure that I put the work in at this time of year in particular. At the allotment (where I have a few mossy areas) I’m in my second year of no dig and so it’s still early days. Even so, results this year were better than the previous year in what was supposed to be a very bad year – even the annual allotment show was cancelled. I still have a small problem with White Rot on Onions and Leeks and so it will be interesting to see if that subsides as the soil comes alive. I’m amazed to see so many plots devoid of crops at this time of year. I also see a number of plot-holders digging and clearing their weed-infested plots and so laying the foundation for the same to occur next year.

I find that the best thing about no-dig is the amount of time and energy that I save which can be re-deployed in areas that actually help me get results. The next best thing is the lovely fine soil surface that, after a few year of no-dig, is wonderful to work with when sowing and planting.

[PoolfieldMember]

That is a very encouraging story for someone just at the beginning of the no dig process, thank you.

[Author]

Posts