On 29/11/2013 13:51, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On Thu, 28 Nov 2013 12:21:27 -0000, Janet wrote:

In article ,
says...

Hmm...Many years ago I scattered some ordinary cooking salt onto the
concrete path around our previous house to melt ice. The concrete in
those areas then degraded quite seriously over the next few years.

I've had the same experience on the back door steps and shan't use
salt again.

Janet

It has never caused a problem when I've used it. Perhaps it's because
I swill it off after a few hours.

Which could lead to problems if the temperature remains below freezing!
--
Phil Cook

In article ,
says...

On Thu, 28 Nov 2013 12:21:27 -0000, Janet wrote:

In article ,
says...

Hmm...Many years ago I scattered some ordinary cooking salt onto the
concrete path around our previous house to melt ice. The concrete in
those areas then degraded quite seriously over the next few years.

I've had the same experience on the back door steps and shan't use
salt again.

Janet

It has never caused a problem when I've used it. Perhaps it's because
I swill it off after a few hours.

I find swilling water on icy slippery things tends to cause more ice
and slipperyness. YMMV.

Janet

On 2013-11-29 14:10:25 +0000, Emery Davis said:

On Fri, 29 Nov 2013 13:12:47 +0000, Muddymike wrote:

On Thu, 28 Nov 2013 09:36:36 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Can anyone recommend a suitable product to do this, the pavioured area
is quite large.

I have recently been experimenting with using my old Sheen weed burner.
So far the results on the moss look promising.


Um, any reason not to just clean it with a Karcher?


Has a Karcher become the pressure washer equivalent of a Hoover?


Heh, in France it certainly is... At least since Sarkozy said he was
going to clean out the tough neighbourhoods with a Karcher. Which didn't
go over very well!

Anyway I still think a pressure washer is the right solution for this
kind of work. I've used it to clean moss and lichen off of stone and
brick walls, very easy.

I must be missing something here. I LIKE moss and lichen! I'm not
tallking about the green slippery fimy stuff but the hummocky pretty
stuff.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On 29/11/2013 15:59, Sacha wrote:
On 2013-11-29 14:10:25 +0000, Emery Davis said:

On Fri, 29 Nov 2013 13:12:47 +0000, Muddymike wrote:

On Thu, 28 Nov 2013 09:36:36 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Can anyone recommend a suitable product to do this, the pavioured area
is quite large.

I have recently been experimenting with using my old Sheen weed burner.
So far the results on the moss look promising.


Um, any reason not to just clean it with a Karcher?


Has a Karcher become the pressure washer equivalent of a Hoover?


Heh, in France it certainly is... At least since Sarkozy said he was
going to clean out the tough neighbourhoods with a Karcher. Which didn't
go over very well!

Anyway I still think a pressure washer is the right solution for this
kind of work. I've used it to clean moss and lichen off of stone and
brick walls, very easy.

I must be missing something here. I LIKE moss and lichen! I'm not
tallking about the green slippery fimy stuff but the hummocky pretty stuff.



So do I! I leave it wherever I can, but I have to admit I've got one
*very* mossy path on a slope which I must tackle. I really need to cut
back hard the evergreen trees which are creating it. Elsewhere, I leave
moss and lichen alone and simply admire it.

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

On Fri, 29 Nov 2013 15:59:43 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2013-11-29 14:10:25 +0000, Emery Davis said:

[]
Anyway I still think a pressure washer is the right solution for this
kind of work. I've used it to clean moss and lichen off of stone and
brick walls, very easy.

I must be missing something here. I LIKE moss and lichen! I'm not
tallking about the green slippery fimy stuff but the hummocky pretty
stuff.

Best it's not there if a bit of wall needs repointing though!

We have some wood fence with tons of lichen on it, I wondered the other
day if it's not making it rot a bit faster...



--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

On 2013-11-29 16:42:43 +0000, Spider said:

On 29/11/2013 15:59, Sacha wrote:
On 2013-11-29 14:10:25 +0000, Emery Davis said:

On Fri, 29 Nov 2013 13:12:47 +0000, Muddymike wrote:

On Thu, 28 Nov 2013 09:36:36 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Can anyone recommend a suitable product to do this, the pavioured area
is quite large.

I have recently been experimenting with using my old Sheen weed burner.
So far the results on the moss look promising.


Um, any reason not to just clean it with a Karcher?


Has a Karcher become the pressure washer equivalent of a Hoover?


Heh, in France it certainly is... At least since Sarkozy said he was
going to clean out the tough neighbourhoods with a Karcher. Which didn't
go over very well!

Anyway I still think a pressure washer is the right solution for this
kind of work. I've used it to clean moss and lichen off of stone and
brick walls, very easy.

I must be missing something here. I LIKE moss and lichen! I'm not
tallking about the green slippery fimy stuff but the hummocky pretty stuff.



So do I! I leave it wherever I can, but I have to admit I've got one
*very* mossy path on a slope which I must tackle. I really need to cut
back hard the evergreen trees which are creating it. Elsewhere, I
leave moss and lichen alone and simply admire it.

The first time Ray took me to Tresco we were going round the Abbey
Gardens with Mike Nelhams, the Curator. A woman stopped him and
gesturing towards some lichen spotted branches, asked him "How do you
get rid of this?". He replied that they don't as the lichen does no
harm an is an indication of very clean air. I quite understand if
someone is worried about slipping on it but if it's just a desire to be
'tidy' then it passes me by. Someone did a 'moss wall' at Chelsea (?) a
year or two back and it's one of the prettiest things I've ever seen.
Istr that Tom Hoblyn did something similar as a decorative staircase in
a garden at Hampton Court many years ago and it was stunning. Like a
lot of showcase gardens, it wouldn't take daily wear and tear but as a
thought prodding feature in a show garden, it worked wonderfully.
--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On 29/11/2013 13:55, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
On 29 Nov 2013 11:45:37 GMT, Emery Davis
wrote:

On Thu, 28 Nov 2013 09:36:36 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Can anyone recommend a suitable product to do this, the pavioured area
is quite large.

Um, any reason not to just clean it with a Karcher?

I've never heard of a Karcher until now!

I don't think I will be buying one.

Steve

The problem with using a pressure washer (aka
Karcher) is that unless you are exceedingly careful it causes damage.

On 2013-11-29 16:43:38 +0000, Emery Davis said:

On Fri, 29 Nov 2013 15:59:43 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2013-11-29 14:10:25 +0000, Emery Davis said:

[]
Anyway I still think a pressure washer is the right solution for this
kind of work. I've used it to clean moss and lichen off of stone and
brick walls, very easy.

I must be missing something here. I LIKE moss and lichen! I'm not
tallking about the green slippery fimy stuff but the hummocky pretty
stuff.

Best it's not there if a bit of wall needs repointing though!

I understand that but the OP isn't talking about a wall. He's talking
about it *between* paving stones, where many would grow low-growing
herbs if conditions were less moist or shady.

We have some wood fence with tons of lichen on it, I wondered the other
day if it's not making it rot a bit faster...

Acting as a sponge, you mean? All I can say - quoting Tresco again as
my source - is that there's a wooden fence on one part of the island
that surrounds a horse paddock. I've only known the island for 14
years but to my certain knowledge that fence has been there at least
that long. Every plank of it is topped with lichen, so that it looks
as if it's rimed with frost, even in August. The fence should, in
theory, be destroyed if the lichen was harming it, or so I would
imagine.

--

Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
www.helpforheroes.org.uk

On Fri, 29 Nov 2013 17:38:34 +0000, Sacha wrote:

I understand that but the OP isn't talking about a wall. He's talking
about it *between* paving stones, where many would grow low-growing
herbs if conditions were less moist or shady.


Well, I can understand getting the paving stones clean, especially if
it's nice stone, or slippery. But I agree, between the stones is another
matter. At Yamazakura, the Japanese house where I selected your Acer
ginalla -- which I hope is still alive BTW ! -- there is a lovely patio
with creeping thyme between the flags. As you walk on it in summer the
scent of the thyme rises up in the sun.

We have some wood fence with tons of lichen on it, I wondered the other
day if it's not making it rot a bit faster...

Acting as a sponge, you mean? All I can say - quoting Tresco again as
my source - is that there's a wooden fence on one part of the island
that surrounds a horse paddock. I've only known the island for 14 years
but to my certain knowledge that fence has been there at least that
long. Every plank of it is topped with lichen, so that it looks as if
it's rimed with frost, even in August. The fence should, in theory, be
destroyed if the lichen was harming it, or so I would imagine.

I hope you're right, that's certainly encouraging.

-E



--
Gardening in Lower Normandy

In article ,
Emery Davis wrote:
On Fri, 29 Nov 2013 17:38:34 +0000, Sacha wrote:

I understand that but the OP isn't talking about a wall. He's talking
about it *between* paving stones, where many would grow low-growing
herbs if conditions were less moist or shady.

Well, I can understand getting the paving stones clean, especially if
it's nice stone, or slippery. But I agree, between the stones is another
matter. At Yamazakura, the Japanese house where I selected your Acer
ginalla -- which I hope is still alive BTW ! -- there is a lovely patio
with creeping thyme between the flags. As you walk on it in summer the
scent of the thyme rises up in the sun.

We have some wood fence with tons of lichen on it, I wondered the other
day if it's not making it rot a bit faster...

Acting as a sponge, you mean? All I can say - quoting Tresco again as
my source - is that there's a wooden fence on one part of the island
that surrounds a horse paddock. I've only known the island for 14 years
but to my certain knowledge that fence has been there at least that
long. Every plank of it is topped with lichen, so that it looks as if
it's rimed with frost, even in August. The fence should, in theory, be
destroyed if the lichen was harming it, or so I would imagine.

I hope you're right, that's certainly encouraging.

The main danger to a fence from lichen is that you will damage the
fence trying to remove it!

Overall, it is as likely to be protective as harmful, but both
effects are very small indeed.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
says...
I must be missing something here. I LIKE moss and lichen! I'm not
tallking about the green slippery fimy stuff but the hummocky pretty
stuff.

Best it's not there if a bit of wall needs repointing though!

I understand that but the OP isn't talking about a wall. He's talking
about it *between* paving stones,

Not paving stones, paviours.

Janet.

On Fri, 29 Nov 2013 13:55:25 +0000, Stephen Wolstenholme
wrote:

On 29 Nov 2013 11:45:37 GMT, Emery Davis
wrote:

On Thu, 28 Nov 2013 09:36:36 +0000, Broadback wrote:

Can anyone recommend a suitable product to do this, the pavioured area
is quite large.

Um, any reason not to just clean it with a Karcher?

I've never heard of a Karcher until now!

I don't think I will be buying one.

Very sensible. Having gone through two Karchers in a relatively short
time due to plastic pump moldings cracking I bought a Stihl with an
aluminium pump housing which has served me well for several years.
--
rbel

On 2013-11-29 19:04:44 +0000, Janet said:

In article ,
says...
I must be missing something here. I LIKE moss and lichen! I'm not
tallking about the green slippery fimy stuff but the hummocky pretty
stuff.

Best it's not there if a bit of wall needs repointing though!

I understand that but the OP isn't talking about a wall. He's talking
about it *between* paving stones,

Not paving stones, paviours.

Janet.

We have both here. The paviours are original.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

On 28/11/2013 09:36, Broadback wrote:
Can anyone recommend a suitable product to do this, the pavioured area
is quite large.
I use Armillatox, it is not licensed as a moss killer in the EU any more
because of the cost of registering it but now sold as a patio cleaner to
get round the regs.

http://www.armillatox.co.uk/

Barry

On 2013-11-29 18:21:18 +0000, Emery Davis said:

On Fri, 29 Nov 2013 17:38:34 +0000, Sacha wrote:

I understand that but the OP isn't talking about a wall. He's talking
about it *between* paving stones, where many would grow low-growing
herbs if conditions were less moist or shady.


Well, I can understand getting the paving stones clean, especially if
it's nice stone, or slippery. But I agree, between the stones is another
matter. At Yamazakura, the Japanese house where I selected your Acer
ginalla -- which I hope is still alive BTW ! -- there is a lovely patio
with creeping thyme between the flags. As you walk on it in summer the
scent of the thyme rises up in the sun.

Yes, the Acer is alive and well and thank you! I just love the whole
thing of low plants between flag stones but one does need to be aware
of the bees on them if young children are around - no bare feet.

We have some wood fence with tons of lichen on it, I wondered the other
day if it's not making it rot a bit faster...

Acting as a sponge, you mean? All I can say - quoting Tresco again as
my source - is that there's a wooden fence on one part of the island
that surrounds a horse paddock. I've only known the island for 14 years
but to my certain knowledge that fence has been there at least that
long. Every plank of it is topped with lichen, so that it looks as if
it's rimed with frost, even in August. The fence should, in theory, be
destroyed if the lichen was harming it, or so I would imagine.

I hope you're right, that's certainly encouraging.

-E

I do hope so. I should have taken a photograph of it because it's just
so pretty. The fence is built of horizontal planks, probably sawn from
trees felled on the island. They all have a wany edge and are a few
inches apart, so maybe it helps that they can 'breathe' and that air
circulates around them? I especially like it that the lichen is tiny,
maybe a 1/4 inch high but firmly attached and beautiful. Of course,
the air there is especially clean and rather salty, which may make a
difference to the wood itself. The only diesel or fuel powered vehicles
on Tresco are tractors or a couple of the vans. The rest are
electrically driven buggies that the island's staff use to go from
cottage to cottage with cleaning materials or new food stocks, logs
etc. The air quality is magnificent.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon