Phisherman wrote:
On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 15:36:24 GMT, wrote:
I have green moss growing on my sidewalk, front wall, steps, and the
house wall behind some plants.
There are anti-moss sprays you can try.
Any names to suggest?
Moss is a plant and requires
CO2, light and moisture to survive.
So shellac should seal out the CO2 and kill it????????
But, moss prefers shady, moist,
and acidic conditions.
Except at around 4pm there's almost no direct sunlight in the area but
I would have thought that limestone (on which it's growing) was
alkaline. Maybe the paint (latex and peeling) is acidic?
I've been in this house for over 25 years and this "moss" just
appeared out of nowhere last year. I'm not sure exactly where it
started but it covers the sidewalk (more near the front walls) and the
front courtyards of my neighbors for about three houses on either side
of me. It even grows on the steel (black painted) coal hole cover in
the front of the house. The only thing I can recall that's different
is that prior to last year I used to hose down the front and the
sidewalk about three times a week. Due to other commitments, I've had
to stop doing that except for maybe once a month. In any case that
wouldn't explain the neighbors.
I have heavily limed an area and this had the
effect of less moss growing. Are you sure it is moss and not algae?
I thought algae was a fancy name for seaweed. It certainly doesn't
look like any seaweed I know. It's bright green and resembles velvet
such as you'd use to line a jewelry box. Except on the steel and the
smooth portions of the concrete it seems to be slightly spongy.
Thanks to the other posters but I can't really use a power washer on
the difficult part (the front of the house) because of the porous
limestone. I have a small electric power washer that I use to wash the
car (occasionally g) and the last time I painted the steps (also
limestone) I thought I'd be smart and wash away any peeling paint. Bad
idea! Even on low pressure the power washer gouges holes in the
limestone and blasts the mortar out of the joints. I could use it on
the sidewalk and the other concrete areas but the bleach solution
works just fine there and the residue won't run into the plants.