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Moss

Posted: November 30th, 2017, 5:40 pm
by Rhyd6
Here in N Wales moss seems to be taking over everywhere. It's falling off the rooves in great clumps and I'm forever sweeping up scads of it. Pots and containers on the patio appear to be rising out of a verdant, bright green forest and I'm sure the stockyard grows a fresh crop overnight, well at least every week. Anyone else noticed this?

R6

Re: Moss

Posted: November 30th, 2017, 6:35 pm
by Breelander
I've noticed that in recent years the climate seems to be changing to favour moss. Last winter my 'lawn' suddenly became more moss than grass. At least, that's the way it looks here in the Home Counties. :(

Re: Moss

Posted: December 2nd, 2017, 4:18 pm
by muckshifter
For several years now I’ve been disturbed by the speed with which climatic change and / or pollution effects are changing the area where I live. In thirty years of living in our present house, I’ve noticed really dramatic changes in the bee population in our garden – they have been more than decimated, and the frogs in our pond have recently started developing a fatal fungal disease which also decimates them.

But to answer your point about moss, I would agree that it is becoming ubiquitous. It is another of the changes which I’ve really taken notice of for the last few years. In 1970, as a young man, I was responsible for demolition and site clearance on a big section of M62 construction over the Pennines, and construction of many replacement walls. Our section had the longest continuous steep longitudinal gradient of any motorway constructed in the UK at that time, so it covered quite a range of “altitudes”. We demolished approximately eleven miles of existing field walls, mostly drystone but with some mortared walls, and built perhaps five miles. I don’t remember moss being present on virtually any of those walls which would probably have been mostly a hundred years old or more. Infestation with Moss would have caused us a problem, because large quantities of demolished walls were “billed” as take down, clean and store for reuse which would have been a costly operation if moss had been present. Also moss infestation would have rendered surplus poor quality walls contentious in terms of their informal alternative use as fill material – but that contention never arose between us, the contractors, and the Road Construction Unit supervising the construction standards on behalf of the government, because the stone was moss free.

Now, however, the reverse is true. When I drive through those construction areas, and whereI live, it is rare to see a wall without a considerable moss covering over large parts of it.

Re: Moss

Posted: December 4th, 2017, 9:38 am
by muckshifter
PS. Forgot to say that our lawn has also deteriorated badly over the last perhaps ten years, to the extent that we now use one of these quarterly lawn treatment companies.

Re: Moss

Posted: December 4th, 2017, 12:03 pm
by bungeejumper
Yes, it's been a really bad year for both moss and algae down here in the softy south-west (Wiltshire/Somerset border territory). I've been using a lot of expensive proprietary moss killers on our drive, and I'm wondering whether I wouldn't do better to use dilute bleach instead? (Only jesting, honest - bleach is liable to release dioxins which won't do anybody any good. :? )

I don't know whether it's the climate or the wind direction or something else completely? I've heard, for instance, that the recent plague of Nostoc algae (looks like seaweed) is connected to the use of glyphosate weedkillers. Certainly, Nostoc is causing big problems in some parts of the planet, especially in New Zealand where it's getting to be an epidemic.

And yet, and yet. It wasn't a bad summer at all down here, and the swallows came and went on schedule, and the rain was only average. On the plus side, the blackbirds have been having a great time on our stone tiled roof, rooting out an abundant supply of bugs and worms that have been hiding in the moss. Oh goody, so before long the gutters will be overflowing from the moss blockages. Can't wait. :(

BJ

Re: Moss

Posted: December 4th, 2017, 5:57 pm
by Nimrod103
I have been fighting moss in my lawn for the last 30 years. I cannot say it has been worse this year than previously. I do have reservations about lawn moss killing chemicals (iron sulphate) which I think tend to acidify the soil over time, which encourages moss.

Also moss thrives in shade, and in my opinion gardens have become more shady over the years, with unchecked tree growth, infill building, and people installing higher fences for privacy, and growing tall hedges.

Re: Moss

Posted: December 6th, 2017, 4:52 pm
by stewamax
My large flat-roofed garage lives in the shade of a huge neighbouring deciduous tree. Moss loves it, thrives, on it and over the years it - with wet leaves - has weighed the under-felt boarding down between the rafters to a worrying extent. This autumn I though it was time to get my own back - but with what? Until this Bear of Very Little Brain remembered lawn sand (of which I keep copious quantities - I have a large lawn).
Result: today when inspecting the roof - no moss: just a thin layer of black sludge that was easy to remove.
Sorry moss, but may garage room comes first.

Re: Moss

Posted: December 8th, 2017, 5:25 pm
by colin
During the warm and wet Atlantic period a few thousand years ago the forests of western moors became engulfed by the spreading moss which killed off the trees by smothering leaves and pine needles.