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The presence of moss on concrete driveways, sidewalks, bricks, and pavers makes them look so dull and repulsive and can make them more slippery, causing a safety hazard.
Controlling moss can be a tough battle once it gets established on any surface, but effective control may be simpler than you think.
You must learn how to kill or remove moss so that you can Reclaim your concrete paths and pavers. It involves killing the existing moss and taking preventive measures to prevent them from coming back.
What Causes Moss?
It is important to Know the conditions that encourage moss to grow to make it easier to control. Moss grows in moist, shady areas where there is little competition from other plants.
Miss does not form roots, it is a non-vascular plant and can grow in areas where there is no soil.
Moss infestations in your area are often a sign of poor growing conditions for other plants thereby allowing moss to form.
Moss uses tiny threads called rhizoids to anchor itself to concrete, bricks, and pavers. These rhizoids help the moss to firmly attach to the concrete and allow it to absorb water and grow on the surface.
To prevent itself from desiccation, moss requires a moist environment with little or no sunlight. This moist environment will allow water to absorb through the rhizoids.
Concretes are made of porous materials that allow the rhizoids to anchor strongly. Certain substances in concrete and cement mixes can make their surface more acidic, hence promoting moss growth.
This acidic environment is another reason moss grows well on concrete and paving stones.
To maintain your concrete floors, bricks, and paving stones and keep them beautiful and shining, you need to get rid of moss.
Below are Some Useful Tips on How to kill or Remove Moss:
1. Moss Killer Sprays
If you’re looking for how to kill moss, here’s your
big-gun.
Commercial moss killers, like Lilly Miller Moss Out for Roofs and Structures, offer several iron-based products to kill moss quickly and benefit your concrete and bricks.
Most products that kill moss contain naturally occurring iron substances, such as ferrous sulfate, which are highly effective at killing moss by drying out moisture so mosses dry up, and die. It can be used to kill moss on any surface.
Spray any moss patches with your moss killer, also ensure to apply enough to cover the most thoroughly.
Use a hard brush to remove the debris after killing
You won’t have to worry about it staining your concrete or other surfaces
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2. Vinegar
Vinegar is a relatively cheap and easy method to remove moss from concrete. The acetic acid in the vinegar can kill the moss effectively.
Within a day or two, you’ll notice green moss is now brown.
Once the moss dies, It should be easy to remove, clear up and dispose of.
3. Bleach
Combine about 15 ounces of bleach with 3 gallons of water and pour the mixture into a garden sprayer.
Spray the mixture over the moss thoroughly so the moss is completely soaked. The moss should die and the color should change to yellow in a few hours.
Be sure to wear personal protective equipment when working with bleach for your safety.
Be careful not to get bleach on plants accidentally as bleach is a non-selective killer. Also, ensure to avoid bleach running off into other areas when rinsing the area.
4. Baking Soda
Add two tablespoons of baking soda to 1 liter of water in a container
Mix thoroughly to allow the baking soda to dissolve completely, and place the solution into a sprayer.
Wait for a warm, dry day and thoroughly coat the moss with the baking soda solution. The mixture can be applied and given two days to kill the moss.
Most of it will fall off on its own, and the rest can be removed with a brush.
5. Scrubbing with Detergent
Scrubbing with a laundry detergent is effective in removing moss with minimal effort and damage to the environment.
Soak the moss with the detergent, let it sit for two days, and then wash the dead moss off of the surface.
Read also: Does Baking Soda Kill Weeds? How to Use it for Weed Control
6. Boiling water
The moss on your concrete can be killed by pouring boiling water over it. This is a natural option that will have little to no effect on desirable plants nearby.
It will kill moss within hours.
You will need to follow up with a good scrub with a hard brush to clear the dead moss
After Preparing some boiling water, you will need to carefully pour the boiling water over the entire area.
This will soften up the moss.
Scrub it with a hard scrub brush until you have removed it completely.
Sweep up the area with a broom to remove debris or better still you could wash it away with a water hose.
This method is the most environmentally friendly.
7. Use Sunlight
The least expensive and most natural tip on how to kill moss is to expose it to sunlight.
Moss loves shade.
It won’t grow well in sunny areas.
After a few days of sunlight exposure, the moss will die.
8. Reduce Moisture
Most thrive in moist areas.
Try to reduce the moisture that collects on your concrete and you will most certainly kill existing moss and keep it from growing back.
If your moss is caused by a broken pipe or other irrigation damages, you would need to make the necessary repairs to stop the collection of moisture in the area.
9. Pressure Wash the Area
Looking for another natural option to solve your moss problems, you can use a power washer to get rid of moss on surfaces.
A power washer is an ultimate machine for removing stuck-on grime and moss. This method uses a lot of water, so this should not be the first option you try.
It’s also effective in areas with extreme dirt, grease, and weed buildup due to mold.
The heated water here can loosen up stuck-on sludge outdoors better than cold water. It also kills mold and moss and prevents their quick return.
Read Also: Does Diesel Kill Weeds? [How to Use Fuel on Weeds]
10. Ammonium Sulfamate
You must put on appropriate personal protective equipment for safety as this is a hazardous chemical.
Ammonium sulfamate is most times used as a herbicide spray to control weeds. It is not easily found in many garden sale centers because of some of its toxic qualities. It can also be used as a flame retardant.
Ammonium sulfamate is usually applied using a sprayer. Apply to the moss till it soaked up. Use it in the driveway and walkways around your home.
It will kill moss very quickly
Use a power sprayer to wash off the debris from your concrete floors and walkways after the chemical treatment.
How to Prevent Moss from Growing Back
Moss fares well in very shady and moist areas.
Concrete and pavers are made of porous materials that allow the moss to anchor very well. This makes them more vulnerable to moss growth.
It would be very helpful if you can increase sunlight on your concrete surfaces and reduce the amount of moisture that is trapped there, this way you can naturally kill moss and prevent the moss from growing back.
It’s also important to know how to kill the moss, just in case it’s not possible to reduce moisture at all times.
You have the option of spraying the moss with a moss killer or using boiling water, well-diluted bleach, vinegar, or a power washer to kill and remove moss from concrete.
If you use the spray to kill the moss it will die, but you would have to remove it yourself, and won’t disappear. It’s usually not hard to remove the moss once it is dead.
Once the moss has died, use a brush and water to remove the dead moss.
