Help identify growth on lawn

Can anyone help me identify this growth on my lawn? It covering about 1/4 of my garden. At first I thought it was a weed but am not too sure anymore.

Secondly, how do I remove this? It pulls out fairly easily but if I have to manually pull it all out it will take all month.

 

Some more searching shows it moss :(

Hypnum and Eurhynchium species

 

Yes, it is moss. Quite common in fairly wet lawns. There are a few ways to treat the lawn, but I haven't tried any of it myself yet, so I am afraid I can't give advice. Sorry!

 

Thanks. I didnt know moss could gross like that

There seem to be lots online on how to remove it - will try out some of the methods.

 

It won't get rid of it completely but keeping the grass a bit long and shaggy helps. The worst thing you can do is mow too short and too often.

 

I'm sure iron sulphate is normally used to kill moss on lawns.
If you buy a proprietary weed and feed, check it contains iron to kill moss.

There are precautions to follow.

 

This kind of stuff http://www.amazon.co.uk/EverGreen-3...56&sr=8-1&keywords=lawn+feed+weed+moss+killer

 

A liquid form of iron will deter the moss and kill of most of the moss that's there or a granular based iron only product will have the same effect.
The weed and feeds contain a small amount of iron and if the lawn has a heavy infestation these products will not be as hard hitting as an iron only product.
There are also products that can be used to tackle the moss that are organic based so unlike iron which stains and turns the moss black and then needs to be removed, the organic ones eat away at the moss and cuts down the need to remove.
MO Bacter is one such product and I've had good results but it relies on warm and damp weather weather to work at its best. Iron based products can be used all year round apart from when it's frosty.
Iron however in simple terms hardens the grass plant up and produces the darker green colour associated with its use.
In most cases though moss returns due to environment issues so it's a case of either solving the problem or keeping on top of the problem.
Scarification is the mechanical way of removing moss, thatch and aid the aeration to the turf as well as promoting growth. However different machine setups are required depending on the job which is why you often see lawns hammered and in a poor condition due to the wrong setup used.