moss ??
 

anyone know what to use to get rid of moss on asphalt path? Apparently there
was some good stuff until about 4 years ago when the EU banned in, but the
replacement I bought from the garden centre doesn't do anything.

cheers
Jon

"Oxymel of Squill" wrote in message
...
anyone know what to use to get rid of moss on asphalt path? Apparently
there
was some good stuff until about 4 years ago when the EU banned in, but the
replacement I bought from the garden centre doesn't do anything.

cheers
Jon
Moss grows in acid soil so just raise the pH to 7 or slightly above. One of
these liquid lime products might work. I sprinkle bicarb, sodium
bicarbonate-NaHCO3, on it and it goes brown in 24 hours. I use an old spice
bottle as a shaker.

"Oxymel of Squill" wrote in message
...
anyone know what to use to get rid of moss on asphalt path?
Apparently there
was some good stuff until about 4 years ago when the EU banned in,
but the
replacement I bought from the garden centre doesn't do anything.

Algon killed the moss on my drive and garden walls stone dead in a few
days.

I bought it at a large garden centre.

Franz

Most moss is infolligable and can be
controlled using DDT or slug pellets.
Be aware though, that some mosses can actually
be beneficial in a garden so approach the
subject with caution.........

Alan

"Alan Welsh" wrote in message
...
Most moss is infolligable and can be
controlled using DDT or slug pellets.

DDT was banned decades ago Do you make your own? {:-))
The Brittanica and Wikipedia articles on DDT make interesting reading.

Be aware though, that some mosses can actually
be beneficial in a garden so approach the
subject with caution.........

That is interesting. Which mosses, and in what way?

Franz

Leptobryum pyriforme particularly likes to grow on garden soils.
It is a seedless non-vascular plant and reproduces by growing spores.
Although it's chiefly used to give a growth 'spurt' to oilseed rape, the
actual method of spore propogation is rather unusual....
It is *always* recommended to leave this kind of moss in-situ rather
than habitually destroying it which is most gardeners instinctive action.


Alan

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 05:33:45 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:

DDT was banned decades ago Do you make your own? {:-))

DDT is still used in large areas of the world to control malaria.

Noz
---
Email
I'd rather you replied here though. Thanks.

"Alan Welsh" wrote in message
...
Leptobryum pyriforme particularly likes to grow on garden soils.
It is a seedless non-vascular plant and reproduces by growing
spores.
Although it's chiefly used to give a growth 'spurt' to oilseed rape,
the
actual method of spore propogation is rather unusual....
It is *always* recommended to leave this kind of moss in-situ rather
than habitually destroying it which is most gardeners instinctive
action.

I don't grow oilseed rape, so what good does it confer on my garden?
How would I recognise Leptobryum pyriforme?
Is it a particularly uncommon moss? I ask because unless I looked
badly, it is not listed in the book "Grasses, Ferns, Mosses & Lichens
of Great Britain and Ireland" by Roger Phillips.

Franz

"Green" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 05:33:45 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:

DDT was banned decades ago Do you make your own? {:-))

DDT is still used in large areas of the world to control malaria.

Unfortunately you are right. I wonder whether the number of people
killed by the DDT is more oor less than the number which would have
been killed by malaria if it had not been used.
However, the question is rather academic, since is is banned in the
UK.

Franz

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 14:45:19 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:


"Alan Welsh" wrote in message
...
Leptobryum pyriforme particularly likes to grow on garden soils.
It is a seedless non-vascular plant and reproduces by growing
spores.
Although it's chiefly used to give a growth 'spurt' to oilseed
rape,
the
actual method of spore propogation is rather unusual....
It is *always* recommended to leave this kind of moss in-situ
rather
than habitually destroying it which is most gardeners instinctive
action.

I don't grow oilseed rape, so what good does it confer on my
garden?
How would I recognise Leptobryum pyriforme?
Is it a particularly uncommon moss? I ask because unless I looked
badly, it is not listed in the book "Grasses, Ferns, Mosses &
Lichens
of Great Britain and Ireland" by Roger Phillips.

Google finds it

http://www2002.stoke.gov.uk/museums/...keystage_4.htm

and
http://www.nps.gov/mora/notes/vol17-1-2e5.htm
"Leptobryum pyriforme (L.) Schimp. known as the Long-necked Bryum,
is
a beautiful form recognized by the long-necked capsules and slender
leaves. It frequents moist places along the Nisqually River Trail."

Thanks for the links. I now know more than before. But I am still
baffled about Alan Welsh's recommendation that this moss should be
left in situ on my garden soil.

Franz

I'll confess I don't fully understand the *actual*
benefit as I know Franz is *still* waiting for an
explanation (:-) but as far as I can tell it is
related to the osmosis of chalk in some way.....

Although..............
A patch of moss growing in your lawn is an indicator
of one or more of the following:

~ your lawn needs fertilization.
~ the area has poor drainage.
~ the soil is too acidic to support turf grasses.

But..........read on..........

Before you get out the fertilizer and soil amendments,
consider starting a moss garden.
Moss gardens are fairly easy to grow,
unusual to look at and have become
increasingly popular in recent years.

Alan

"Alan Welsh" wrote in message
...
I'll confess I don't fully understand the *actual*
benefit as I know Franz is *still* waiting for an
explanation (:-) but as far as I can tell it is
related to the osmosis of chalk in some way.....

I have my doubts about that. The words "osmosis" and "chalk" don't go
together very well.

Although..............
A patch of moss growing in your lawn is an indicator
of one or more of the following:

~ your lawn needs fertilization.

I haven't got a lawn. My moss is on the open ground and on walls.
A local nurseryman told me so too, so I applied liquid fertiliser in
the affected regions. That caused the
moss to have a real field day.

~ the area has poor drainage.

No. My garden is well drained.

~ the soil is too acidic to support turf grasses.

It is most likely that this is my problem. My garden is in one of the
sandstone levels of the Pennines and is somewhat on the acid side, but
not violently so. The pH lies somewhere in the region of 6.

But..........read on..........

Before you get out the fertilizer and soil amendments,
consider starting a moss garden.
Moss gardens are fairly easy to grow,
unusual to look at and have become
increasingly popular in recent years.

No thanks! There are plants which are a great deal more interesting
to me than moss.

Franz

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 19:31:48 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 14:45:19 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:


"Alan Welsh" wrote in message
...
Leptobryum pyriforme particularly likes to grow on garden
soils.
It is a seedless non-vascular plant and reproduces by growing
spores.
Although it's chiefly used to give a growth 'spurt' to oilseed
rape,
the
actual method of spore propogation is rather unusual....
It is *always* recommended to leave this kind of moss in-situ
rather
than habitually destroying it which is most gardeners
instinctive
action.

I don't grow oilseed rape, so what good does it confer on my
garden?
How would I recognise Leptobryum pyriforme?
Is it a particularly uncommon moss? I ask because unless I
looked
badly, it is not listed in the book "Grasses, Ferns, Mosses &
Lichens
of Great Britain and Ireland" by Roger Phillips.

Google finds it


http://www2002.stoke.gov.uk/museums/...ion/keystage/c
ontent/moss-keystage_4.htm

and
http://www.nps.gov/mora/notes/vol17-1-2e5.htm
"Leptobryum pyriforme (L.) Schimp. known as the Long-necked
Bryum,
is
a beautiful form recognized by the long-necked capsules and
slender
leaves. It frequents moist places along the Nisqually River
Trail."

Thanks for the links. I now know more than before. But I am still
baffled about Alan Welsh's recommendation that this moss should be
left in situ on my garden soil.

I was hoping you would tell me the location of Nisqually River
Trail.
It doesn't pass through your garden does it :-)

A change of topic. Did you ever eat prickly pears Franz?

Yes, frequently.

Do they taste
good?

Yes, if they are decently ripe. The flavour is delicate and slightly
sweet.

I watched somebody on German TV this evening in a documentary
about Tenerife showing how to pick them without getting prickles in
your fingers. He also showed how to open up the fruit, but nobody
tried eating them.

The silly idiots.

Do be exceedingly careful when peeling them. Once the prickles have
penetrated your skin, it takes days to get rid of the irritation. I
handle
them with a knife and fork. Hold it with the fork
while you top and tail them, then make a longitudinal slice through
the skin and use the knife to open it wide enough to get your
fingertips in, and force the skin off. If the pp is ripe, the skin
comes off cleanly.

A word of warning: The pips are somewhat slow to be digested, so
never eat more than six at one go if you want to avoid being
constipated.

They do occasionally get into the supermarkets. I always keep an eye
open for them

But what is the connection between prickly pears and moss?
{:-))

Franz

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 20:40:20 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:


A change of topic. Did you ever eat prickly pears Franz?

Yes, frequently.

Do they taste
good?

Yes, if they are decently ripe. The flavour is delicate and
slightly
sweet.

I watched somebody on German TV this evening in a documentary
about Tenerife showing how to pick them without getting prickles
in
your fingers. He also showed how to open up the fruit, but nobody
tried eating them.

The silly idiots.

Do be exceedingly careful when peeling them. Once the prickles
have
penetrated your skin, it takes days to get rid of the irritation.

Yes I know. :-((((

That was as far as I got with prickly pears growing wild outside an
old Spanish mission in Lompoc California.

I
handle
them with a knife and fork. Hold it with the fork
while you top and tail them, then make a longitudinal slice through
the skin and use the knife to open it wide enough to get your
fingertips in, and force the skin off. If the pp is ripe, the skin
comes off cleanly.

This guy removed the prickles by first beating the pears in situ
with
a bunch of leaves and twigs.

We just cut them with a sharp knife and let them fall on the ground.

The he cut off one at a time and rolled
them with is foot in the dust. This removed all the prickles.

True. I forgot that stage. It does not get rid of *all* the
prickles, but it does make them a little more handleable

He then
cut the top and tail off made a cut along the length of what was
left
and pealed off the skin.

That's what I said.


A word of warning: The pips are somewhat slow to be digested, so
never eat more than six at one go if you want to avoid being
constipated.

They do occasionally get into the supermarkets. I always keep an
eye
open for them

But what is the connection between prickly pears and moss?

Rolling stones?

{:-))

Franz

In article , Franz Heymann notfranz.h
writes


Do be exceedingly careful when peeling them. Once the prickles have
penetrated your skin, it takes days to get rid of the irritation.

Not only that, but they migrate. In 24 hours you will have spines in
places that have never been near the fruit.

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Franz Heymann
notfranz.h
writes


Do be exceedingly careful when peeling them. Once the prickles
have
penetrated your skin, it takes days to get rid of the irritation.

Not only that, but they migrate. In 24 hours you will have spines in
places that have never been near the fruit.

Thus reaching places which even Heineken does not reach. {:-))

Franz

In article ,
Martin wrote:
On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 20:10:16 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:

Not only that, but they migrate. In 24 hours you will have spines in
places that have never been near the fruit.

Thus reaching places which even Heineken does not reach. {:-))

and probably no more unpleasant

I remember when Heineken was a decent lager, and Amstel was even
better :-(


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In message , Franz Heymann
writes

"Green" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 05:33:45 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:

DDT was banned decades ago Do you make your own? {:-))

DDT is still used in large areas of the world to control malaria.

Unfortunately you are right. I wonder whether the number of people
killed by the DDT is more oor less than the number which would have
been killed by malaria if it had not been used.
However, the question is rather academic, since is is banned in the
UK.

Actually not. DDT is surprisingly well tolerated by mammals, but it is
long lived and gets concentrated in fatty tissue. It is exceedingly bad
for birds especially raptors. It is a tricky problem when malaria is so
deadly.

Most of the expensive new replacements for malaria control are more
acutely toxic to humans than DDT ever was.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

In article ,
Martin wrote:

I remember when Heineken was a decent lager, and Amstel was even
better :-(

I can't. How old are you?

56. I am referring to the days when there were half a dozen breweries
in Amsterdam, and Heineken was just starting to industrialise its
processes. Nearly 30 years back. Notice that I said "decent" and
not "good" - even them, Oranjeboom and Amstel were far better, because
Heineken had started down the slippery slope to British lager.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Martin writes:
|
| British lager was copied from Euro**** like Heineken and Stella
| Artois.

By taking the **** out of them and refining it. Yes, I agree.

| Oranjeboom went first when it was bought by Allied Brewers in the
| sixties. It was bad already before the take over, the locals wouldn't
| drink it.

It still had some character up to the mid-1960s, as did Amstel for
a few years after that. By then, Heineken had little or no character,
but did still just taste of something. Once they were taken over,
they became indistinguishable from Heineken variants, and Heineken
itself started to go downhill in the Stella Artois direction.

| I've lived in NL since 1966, I don't remember a time when any of the
| three you mention were drinkable. In the meantime Heineken has bought
| up and IMO ruined the products of nearly all the smaller breweries
| that competed with them. ...

Hmm. Did you drink any mainstream (i.e. light, blond, gassy) lagers
in Western Europe in 1966, then? If so, which?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 19:46:42 +0000 (UTC), "Alan Welsh" wrote:

I'll confess I don't fully understand the *actual*
benefit as I know Franz is *still* waiting for an
explanation (:-) but as far as I can tell it is
related to the osmosis of chalk in some way.....

Although..............
A patch of moss growing in your lawn is an indicator
of one or more of the following:

~ your lawn needs fertilization.
~ the area has poor drainage.
~ the soil is too acidic to support turf grasses.

But..........read on..........

Before you get out the fertilizer and soil amendments,
consider starting a moss garden.
Moss gardens are fairly easy to grow,
unusual to look at and have become
increasingly popular in recent years.

Alan

I know most people will think us mad but we love moss. Habe you ever sat down beside some when it is
verdant and 'fruiting'? It is so amazing. We are not stupid about it but if it is not causing
problems we leave it alone. The Japanese go to great lengths to propagate it for their gardens.

Kath

In article ,
Lee and Kath wrote:

I know most people will think us mad but we love moss. Habe you ever sat down beside some when it is
verdant and 'fruiting'? It is so amazing. We are not stupid about it but if it is not causing
problems we leave it alone. The Japanese go to great lengths to propagate it for their gardens.

There are at least half a dozen people here who could be classed as
Moss Troopers :-)

It is a nearly ideal lawn plant - drought and waterlogging resistant,
naturally low-growing, excellent at smothering weeds, easily removed
when it invades other areas, soft underfoot, and useful in the garden
in all sorts of ways.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.