Q: At the rear and north side of my house, my lawn gets mossy. I’ve tried putting lime down to mitigate the moss problem, with little to no results. — Joe Dawidowicz, Suwannee
A: The lime didn’t work because lime doesn’t kill moss. Moss grows in a lawn because the environmental conditions in that area favor it — and do not favor grass. What three things does moss like? Shade, clay soil and lots of moisture. What three things does grass hate? Shade, clay soil and lots of moisture! If you eliminate the three environmental conditions that moss likes, the moss will disappear.
Here’s how to kill moss: Next time you reseed, add plenty of soil conditioner to the ground before rototilling it. This increases drainage. Remove lower tree limbs that cause shade. Redirect water that flows across the lawn. If you can accomplish that, the moss will be no obstacle for your grass. Products that contain ferrous sulfate or copper sulfate kill moss for a short time. Although moss prefers acid soil rather than alkaline soil, adding lime changes very little that affects moss. If you change the environment, moss will leave.
Q: I’m trying to find a loropetalum of a particular size. But if I look up the same thing online, different sources disagree on ultimate size. There is just no consensus whatsoever on sizes for any loropetalum plant. I want a hedge of 6- to 8-foot tall loropetalums, full sun, drought tolerant, wash ‘n’ wear. One with pink flowers would be good, not the ugly dark, almost black leaves; those are depressing. Which loropetalums do you recommend for a hedge like this? — Jeff, email
A: Though pink loropetalums were introduced here in 1989, we still haven’t had enough experience with them to be absolutely sure the predicted height is the ultimate height. In the early years, when the only cultivars available were Ruby, Blush and Purple Diamond, gardeners commonly complained about missed predictions. I planted Zhuzhou Fuchsia in front of my soon-to-be-wife’s house, assuring her that it would grow to be only 4 feet tall. The fact that I had to use a chainsaw to remove it tells you my story. Now, 25 years later, the big growers have had enough experience to be pretty sure their predicted heights will come true. For your landscape, consider the good information found on this site: hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/loropetalum/
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