Get moss out of concrete surfaces once for all

Moss is not exactly what you want to see in your garden. It can totally destroy your lawn, but no one likes to see moss on various paved surfaces either. No matter how natural you are, tiles covered with moss simply look neglected and ugly.

Maybe you can close your eyes if you see moss in some kind of a vintage garden, where moss covered surfaces may be desirable, but still. Moss will destroy them eventually so, in every other case you should definitely remove moss by hand or with the help of chemical substances.

Removal by hand from small areas

If your problem only looks like a small green coating, you know more like an algae then fully grown moss, take an iron brush or a regular spatula and clean it off. Moss should not give you any trouble and you should be able to remove it easily, but it will be a rather laborious activity, especially if you work on larger areas. So, if that is the case try using some natural or even chemical substances.

Salt and charcoal works too

It is often enough to sprinkle the areas affected by moss with something natural. For example charcoal works very well and you can use it virtually anywhere in your garden. It may take little longer than chemicals but moss will give up eventually and you can celebrate success. You may also try salt. It should be a bit faster but make sure that salt will not wash into the surrounding soil and definitely do not use salty solution near flower beds or your beloved lawn.

Another good tip islime dissolved in water. Use a sprayer to apply the solution to moss-covered areas. This process needs to be repeated several times. If you want to speed things up, remove more stubborn moss by hand before spraying. For example, pressure cleaner is great because it will disturb its roots and the whole process will be much faster and more efficient.

Photo: Radek Štěpán

If you still want to use chemistry

Yes, we know. Sometimes you don’t have the time or patience to deal with natural moss removal. So, what should you use? First, you should thoroughly clean the sidewalk or the area where the moss grows and then use the good old bleach (Savo). Again, use it only where the bleach cannot harm plants growing around.

You may also try using copper. Long copper strips are especially suitable for roofs covered with concrete shingles. Fasten copper strips on top of the roof and let the weather work for you. Soon a green layer starts to form on the copper which will get washed by rainwater down to the lower parts of the roof gradually destroying the moss in the process.

There are commonly available chemicals sold in our corner of the world such as Kuprikol 0.5%, Antimech, Lukofob 39, Sanatop C12, SCALP etc.

Think about moss before creating your garden

If you are designing your garden with concrete surfaces, you can save yourself a lot of work if you do it right. It’s easy. Use the so-called self-cleaning concrete. It is based on photocatalytic cement mixtures and it works great even in areas where strong moss growth is expected, such as on northern walls or in damp and shady places.

Preview photo: Radek Štěpán