The Lemon Fool

There I was using the jetwash to shift moss off the path outside the front door, when I had a thought.

The moss will come back because of the amount of trees etc round here, but would I be better off doing moss clearing in the autumn, rather than spring, or wouldn't it make that much difference?

Slarti

Just a personal opinion Slarti, but I'd feel better doing it now and having a lovely clean path over the summer. Nothing to stop you doing it again in Autumn but at a least there wouldn't be so much by then? The birds seem to like rummaging through old, lifted moss.

It will get completed over the next week or two, now I've started, but I was wondering, if I did it in the autumn, would it then stay clear for most of the year?

I'm assuming that moss has a growing season, like grass?

Slarti

Slarti wrote:I'm assuming that moss has a growing season, like grass?

Grass never stops growing, just slows down in the cold. In mild winters you may even need to mow the lawn....

RHS wrote:Over winter: Mowing is usually not necessary, unless the weather is mild and the grass is still growing. In this case, mow occasionally with a high cut setting.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=425

Moss seems to be the same, no set growing season - just grows faster when it's warm and damp (judging by the moss in my lawn ).

Why not sprinkle a bit of lawn sand, leave it for a fortnight, then jet-wash the black residue away.
I use lawn sand on my felt-roofed garage (which collects water in spite of having the obligatory slope). Works fine.

stewamax wrote:Why not sprinkle a bit of lawn sand, leave it for a fortnight, then jet-wash the black residue away.
I use lawn sand on my felt-roofed garage...

The ferrous sulphate in lawn sand will stain a concrete path 'rust' coloured, so be careful where you use it.

After jet washing pour cheap watered down bleach over the path. I do that and it keeps the moss away for a couple of years.

I use washing soda to both remove and also retard moss growth on decking and paths.

Slarti wrote:
There I was using the jetwash to shift moss off the path outside the front door, when I had a thought.

The moss will come back because of the amount of trees etc round here, but would I be better off doing moss clearing in the autumn, rather than spring, or wouldn't it make that much difference?

It's probably going to be worth giving the path an application of liquid moss-killer at least once a year.

For the price of a tub of Wilko Green Gone Super Concentrate (3L - £6.50), which gets good user-reviews on the link below, I think that's something I'd try -

https://bit.ly/2qAx0lA

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

My plan is to spend 10 minutes going around the house with a wire brush, noticed that in the back the first brick row has moss.

Wilko Green Gone Super Concentrate is 1% benzalkionium chloride.
If you need to use large quantities of it, try instead the 50% version BAC50 from Bonnymans (£7.50 / litre; much cheaper in larger quantities) and then dilute.

Beware: it can cause severe eye irritation (use goggles , not just safety glasses) and can be toxic to cats (they lick it off their paws)

Mike88 wrote:After jet washing pour cheap watered down bleach over the path. I do that and it keeps the moss away for a couple of years.

True, it does. But the bleach also kills the worms, and it leaves a residue which can eventually degrade into dioxin. I prefer Flash floor cleaner, which doesn't seem to harm the wife's plants. Rotary spray attachment for the jet-wash (the kind that looks like an upturned bucket) is also useful.

That's all right for the hard surfaces, but I switch to one of those poncy expensive moss killers on my gravel drive - a £23 can does about four tennis courts (equivalent - not that I have a tennis court, you understand. Not even a small one. ).

BJ

bungeejumper wrote:

Mike88 wrote:After jet washing pour cheap watered down bleach over the path. I do that and it keeps the moss away for a couple of years.

True, it does. But the bleach also kills the worms, and it leaves a residue which can eventually degrade into dioxin. I prefer Flash floor cleaner, which doesn't seem to harm the wife's plants. Rotary spray attachment for the jet-wash (the kind that looks like an upturned bucket) is also useful.

That's all right for the hard surfaces, but I switch to one of those poncy expensive moss killers on my gravel drive - a £23 can does about four tennis courts (equivalent - not that I have a tennis court, you understand. Not even a small one. ).

BJ

While you are correct about bleach giving off dioxin I believe it is the substance itself rather than degradation that is the cause. Also garden fires give off dioxin. Weedkillers and many other garden products are also detrimental to health and I wouldn't be surprised if moss killers are also equally dangerous. I'm sticking to bleach as it applied in the open air and is probably no more dangerous than other products used in the garden.