Over the past year or so quite a lot of moss has grown on my garage roof. It is pretty much a very big sponge.
I've had some success by shovelling a few spades at a time into a big container full of water and then gently fishing out the moss with a rake. But that's nowhere near 100% effective.
Ideas and what should I do next?
Leave it where it is? Whatever you do to remove it is likely to damage the roofing surface. What harm is it doing?
The idea of chippings was, IIRC, to increase the surface area to aid evaporation. Moss, however, has other ideas.
Would grass seeds grow on top? Seen swanky "green" roofs on property programmes.
-&-
We put a new flat roof in bitumen without the chippings, and laid aluminium paint on top, er, to avoid it melting in the sun.
So now my particular problem has gone the other way ....
Sprinkle it with bioligical washing powser. I did find an alternative liquid solution which I also found effective on our drive . Label reads " Bac 50" from R&D Laboratories Ltd., Unit U, Enkalon Ind. Est., Antrim BT41 4LJ
Apparently it is C10-C16 Alkyl Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride (50%) Perhaps you could run some up yourself.
So far it is just as effective as the biological washing powder but perhaps easier spread. (Diluted and sprayed with a garden pressure sprayer.) Prior to this the washing powder was the only effective solution I could find. Lasted a few years. All other 'Moss Solution' products were useless. They required the removal of the dead moss. I found it very hard to shift even with a Stihl power brush attachment on their split boom system and using a spade threatened damage to the tarmac on the drive,
I though the chippings were to ease the drainage and stop rain pooling on the roof ?
Probably not a lot until it freezes
The chippings are there to reflect sun not removing the moss means they are less reflective and inefficient. Our last house had a built up felt roof which needed a partial repair at one time, the roofers stripped all the chippings off and washed down the sound part of the roof with biological washing powder solution. When the repair was complete they simply poured new chippings on this lasted for years without mossing despite being under my neighbours trees.
Richard
Weedkiller?
If the roof is porous and it freezes then it's going to get damaged, if the roof isn't porous then it doesn't really matter if what's on top freezes.
Are either safe for wildlife, eg birds, squirrels?
Buy a big bag of ferrous sulphate from a garden centre or agricultural dealer. if you have a concrete apron and the roof discharges onto it, it will stain it though.
I would have thought the insulation properties of moss would be far better than chippings. Some systems suggest you don't use chippings as they can damage the membrane when waling on the roof, plus birds have a habit of moving them.
Bloody heavy when wet, I'd imagine. Brian. Brian
Couldn't give a toss.
Why does every thing have to hark back to wild life ?
We have a local Sparrow Hawk who keeps the pigeons under control. Jackdaws who clean up after him Cat which keeps rats in their place And we let the vicious squirrel have the beech nuts in the hedge
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