Hi Margaret,

Thank you for contacting the UVM Extension Master Gardener Program with your questions.

Moss in the lawn can be cause by many factors such as too much shade, overwatering, pH too high or too low, compacted soil or poor air circulation. Here are a couple of fact sheets that will help you with getting rid of the moss in your lawn. You will need to assess your situation and decide which factors are contributing to the moss growth.

https://extension.illinois.edu/lawns/managing-moss-lawns

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/moss-lawns/

Ants in the lawn are more of a nuisance and unsightly as opposed to causing damage. Here is an excerpt on ants in the lawn from the University of Minnesota Extension. I have deleted the section on pesticides as we are not allowed to recommend them. If you do choose to treat chemically, you could consult your local garden center. There was very little information on managing ants in the lawn without chemicals. I'm sorry I could not be of more help with ant control.

 "Controlling ants outdoors

It is often challenging to recognize ants from a picture. Because different species may be treated differently, be sure an ant problem is correctly identified before attempting control.

Many ants enter homes from outside nests as they look for food. To find their nest, follow the ants. You can encourage foraging by setting out attractive food.

Ants usually take regular routes to and from their nest by making a chemical (pheromone) trail. The nest may be found by watching where the ants go. For some ants, such as carpenter ants, this works best at night, just after sunset. When the nest is found, it can be treated. In some cases, ants may need to be observed for 30 minutes or longer to locate a nest. Diligent observations can pay off as locating and treating the nest directly is often the most effective way of controlling ants.

Ants can also be a nuisance in lawns because of the mounds they produce, especially if they are abundant. Tolerate ant nests in lawns when possible.

Drenching a nest many times with an insecticidal soap solution is sometimes effective in forcing an ant colony to relocate.


These methods are NOT effective to get rid of ants:

• Flooding nests with water
• Pouring gasoline in a nest (it is dangerous and causes environmental pollution)
• Using spearmint gum, red pepper, orange peels, cinnamon, or other herbs
• Lavender and other essential oils"

Maintaining a healthy lawn should help with both the ants and the moss to some degree. Here is some information about that.

https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Extension-Master-Gardener/UVMExt_Soil_Fertility_Recommendations_for_Vt_Lawns_7p.pdf

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