Moss control

Discussion in 'HortForum' started by Johnshepp, Oct 29, 2006.

  1. Johnshepp

    Johnshepp Member

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    Any suggestions that do not cost a fortune as to the removal of moss from a tarmac drive and how to keep it from reappearing
     
  2. growest

    growest Active Member 10 Years

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    John--put some bleach/water maybe 1:3 dilution in a garden sprayer and spray the moss down, that will kill what's there now. I would use a scoop type shovel first to peel off any heavier stuff, then spray.

    You can also sprinkle powdered laundry detergent on mossy surfaces, but this would be a problem with slipperiness on a driveway, I suspect.

    Commercial moss killers are usually iron based and more expensive than the bleach, also can be a problem with staining from the reddish black iron in them. Some are now zinc based to get away from that, you could also spray copper sulphate solution, but all these are probably more money than using the big bottles of generic bleach, watered down. And the bleach evaporates quite quickly, leaving no residues...just don't overdo the spray as any runoff can be hard on nearby plants/lawns.
     
  3. Johnshepp

    Johnshepp Member

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    Many thanks, will try the bleach, but will it keep it away for a long period or is it something that I will have to keep reapplying
     
  4. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Also, see Newt's awesome post on moss control in this thread
     
  5. jimweed

    jimweed Active Member 10 Years

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    Iron is the best for controlling moss instantly, but it will stain tarmac, is meant for lawns. Zinc won't stain anything, but will take a couple days to really show results and is very effective, for $15 you can get a 2kg bucket of powder that will cover about 8000-10000sq'. And you can use it for scrubbing patio furniture, awnings, just about anything for removing mold, moss, or algie. Copper won't kill moss though Grow. Never tried bleach, would be kinda like using gasoline for weed control no?
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2006
  6. growest

    growest Active Member 10 Years

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    John--the bleach is a quick but short lived control....yes, you'd have to redo this every year or so to keep knocking the moss back.

    Jim has an interesting idea with the zinc powder...you can also get bags of small zinc metal "pebbles" sold for flat roofs...a long term solution except your area would get traffic that would displace those. The powder sounds better, with some longer term control perhaps?

    Jim--yes the bleach will work but it is exactly like you say...just burns it off, like a tiger torch, or gasoline! I was imagining the bleach would work out cheapest. I think copper will kill moss, as it is occasionally used on roofs and certainly controls all mosses and algae where it drains onto roof areas (can you tell my trade is roofing). Lead also works very well in this way, but these are quite troubling chemicals to be introducing.

    Your suggestion of zinc powder may be the best medium term solution, assuming it will hang around for awhile to keep the moss from reestablishing. Bleach evaporates very quickly so nothing but immediate control, with new moss starting to grow as soon as new spores land...
     
  7. steve d

    steve d Member

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    A successful moss control for roofs that does minimal damage to the environment is to apply ABC powdered laundry detergent to the roof. Use a broadcast spreader to apply once a year preferrably during our fog season. You don't want it to wash off too quickly, just a nice slow melting in affect. I was a roofing contractor for years and found this to be the best and most efficient method.
     

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