How to apply lawn sand at 80 g per square metre
Updated: October 2026
You already have a moss-control bag and the risk is an uneven handful that burns a stripe or stains the patio. How to apply lawn sand on a home-garden pack is a gram job on a moist, growing lawn, not a shovel of top dressing and not a sports-pitch rate. The [lawn sand comparison](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/lawn-sand) names the five kept listings. This page stays with rate, weather, watering in, pets, mowing, raking, and edges. The method follows the home-garden sheets, not a trial plot.
You already have a moss-control bag and the risk is an uneven handful that burns a stripe or stains the patio.
You already have a moss-control bag and the risk is an uneven handful that burns a stripe or stains the patio. How to apply lawn sand on a home-garden pack is a gram job on a moist, growing lawn, not a shovel of top dressing and not a sports-pitch rate. The lawn sand comparison names the five kept listings. This page stays with rate, weather, watering in, pets, mowing, raking, and edges. The method follows the home-garden sheets, not a trial plot.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | How to apply | Coverage as printed | What the bag is | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  GREEN UP Vitax Green Up lawn sand, 250 m² | Not stated in the bullets | 250 square metres | Moss-control granule | 9.2 | about £31.35 | View offer |
| Best value |  Vitax Ltd Vitax Green Up lawn sand, 4 kg | April to September; how often not stated | Medium; included line 50SQM | Moss-control granule | 8.8 | about £10.95 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Westland Westland lawn sand, 16 kg | Not in the bullets; one review quotes 80 g | 200, no unit printed | Moss-control granule | 8.6 | about £20.91 | View offer |
On this page
Check the lawn and the weather
Westland's sheet is for established turf, not grass under twelve months. If you laid seed or turf last autumn, wait. Follow the label, not a neighbour's handful. Vitax 4 kg bullets in this capture say apply from April to September. Westland's sheet uses March to October. Use the calendar on the pack you hold.
The lawn needs to be moist and growing. Rule out drought, frost, and soil that is already a puddle. Do not spread ahead of heavy rain, and do not spread onto bone-dry thatch. Mow about three days before you treat. Westland asks you to wait at least four days before the next cut. If the site is too dark for grass, treating moss will not invent light. That decision sits on lawn sand for moss.
Measure 80 g per square metre
The home-garden rate on Westland and the Green Up home sheet is 80 g per square metre. One Westland United Kingdom review quotes that figure. Mark one-metre squares, weigh 80 g once on kitchen scales, and match that heap. A handful from a 16 kg bag is not a square metre.
A titled 16 kg Westland bag at 80 g is about 200 square metres, which matches the coverage field of 200. The item-weight row says 14.9 kg, so a short bag covers less. The Vitax 4 kg box is about 50 square metres if you trust the included 50SQM line. The Vitax 250 m² pack is 20.2 kg; 250 square metres at 80 g would be 20 kg. Those bullets do not print a rate, so use the home sheet. Do not copy 125-140 g onto these retail packs. If you have not chosen the bag, use best lawn sand. If you still need the job split, use the lawn sand buying guide. Westland caps repeats at two applications, 40 days apart.
Water in, wait, then rake
If the weather stays dry, water the granules in within 48 hours so the iron reaches the moss. Do not flood the patio. Pets stay off until the granules are watered in and the lawn is dry. That is not the same as back on after an hour.
Moss should blacken. That is the treatment working. Grass can darken for a short time. Wait about two weeks, then rake the dead moss. The brand pages sit in the 7-14 day band. Compost the rakings if you already compost garden waste. If nothing blackens after a labelled wait, you may have spread graded sand at 80 g, or the moss is sitting on a lawn that never dries.
Keep it off paving and off graded sand
Brush spills off paving, concrete, and stone. Do not wash them in. One United Kingdom review reports a red mark on Portland Stone. Sweep what lands on hard surfaces while it is still dry.
The 80 g rate is the wrong number for the two Scottish Aggregates bags. Those listings are 0/4 mm graded sand, applied with a lute, a rake, or a stiff brush, at up to 2.5 m² per 20 kg. Eighty grams of that sand does nothing useful to moss. Putting a chemical granule into aeration holes as if it were sharp sand burns the cores. Call a professional if the label says to get medical help after eye contact or swallowing, or if you have a professional-only product.
Common questions
How many grams per square metre on a home-garden pack?
80 g per square metre on Westland Lawn Sand² and the Green Up home-garden sheet. One Westland United Kingdom review quotes the same figure. Do not use 125-140 g from the amenity Green Up page on these retail packs.
When do I water it in?
Within 48 hours if the lawn stays dry, as G212 and Westland state. If rain is already wetting the turf after you spread, you may not need the can. Do not leave granules sitting through a dry spell and a heatwave.
When can pets go back on?
After the granules are watered in and the lawn is dry, on Westland's wording. That can be the next day in cool damp weather, or longer if the surface stays dusty. Do not send pets straight back onto dry granules.
When do I mow and when do I rake?
Mow about three days before you treat, then wait at least four days after, on Westland. Rake dead moss after about two weeks, or in the 7-14 day band on the brand pages. Cutting too soon and raking too early both thin the grass.
What if I spill it on paving?
Brush it off. Do not wash it in. Iron can leave a rust-red stain, and one review in this file marked Portland Stone. Sweep while the spill is dry, then rinse only after the solid granule is gone.
Can I use 80 g on the Scottish Aggregates bags?
No. Those bags are 0/4 mm graded sand. Their printed coverage is up to 2.5 m² per 20 kg, applied with a lute, rake, or brush. Eighty grams of that sand is not a mosskiller dose.
What happens if I put on too much?
Westland reviews in this capture describe burnt grass after over-application. You also raise the stain risk on stone. If you have already dumped a heavy stripe, water it in gently and keep pets off; do not add a second pass to even it up.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK and maker sources used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the five amazon.co.uk listings captured on 20 October 2026. A star line is not a laboratory test. The amenity rate is not the rate for these home packs. The (20, 20kg) title is not twenty bags.
- RHS, Moss in lawns (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- RHS, Lawn care in autumn (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE, Using pesticides in your garden (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE G212, ferrous sulphate label phrases (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Westland Lawn Sand² sheet (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Vitax Green Up home-garden label (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE pesticide databases (retrieved 20 October 2026)