Re: Make your own moss
- Subject: Re: [SG] Make your own moss
- From: C* P*
- Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2001 21:17:31 EDT
In a message dated 4/27/01 9:17:57 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Shishi@AOL.COM
writes:
<< > I think that it is the oxidized copper
> that kills the moss as rain water runs down, but don't know for sure, it
> clicked into my memory.
>
> I find that using a herbicide will usually bring on a flush of moss growth,
> never paid attention to the stuff before Bob Solberg's talk at hosta
> college.
> Now I find it very intriguing. Wish I could get more of it to grow. N.
>
narda, et al:
copper is quite poisonous to all plant life ( there may be some kinky thing
that tolerates it) >>
Harry and Narda,
If there was something easy to demoss the roof, I thought I should know about
it as a lifetime in the building construction business should have given me a
clue.
I went to husband and asked and he says: copper sulphate or any form of
copper used on the roof (such as fancy flashings) has to age or you must buy
a form that is especially made for roofing. The product that kills the moss
is zinc. You must buy the zinc from a roofing metals dealer and make the
strips yourself. He thought in in areas with more roofing life (fungi,
lichens, etc.) you might find a product already packaged for this purpose.
This zinc treatment is not very attractive so is therefore not popular. It
is also expensive. When husband was asked why we do not do this the answer
is that it destroys the shingles eventually - all the staples or nailholes.
He says he is getting used to mosses on the roof and may learn to like them.
He also says that in the south people pressure-wash their shingles to clear
them of this unwanted roof life. He says that if you used black shingles it
would be cheaper and that the pressure washer also destroys the shingles.
From this I conclude that the next roof we have will probably be black and
that the discussion, here, is closed.
Claire Peplowski
NYS z4
