Green moss or a motley patina of lichen is not a pretty sight on a stone surface. Good to know that both culprits can be removed using the same methods. Read here how to effectively eliminate moss and lichen from paved surfaces and terraces.
Lichen and moss are not the same
Are moss and lichen identical?
Visually, moss and lichen look confusingly similar. In addition, both species favor shady, damp and cool conditions. That already says all the similarities, because from a botanical point of view there are serious differences. Moss are green, rootless land plants. Lichens, on the other hand, represent a colourful, symbiotic community of fungi and algae, so they are not real plants.
Tips for removing moss and lichen from stone
The earlier you start removing the plaque, the less effort it will take. With a wire brush, the joint scraper or the hard scrubber, there are good prospects of effective cleaning in the early stages of infestation. If there are still stubborn residues, give the covering the rest with these agents:
- Spray the settled area repeatedly with fruit or wine vinegar
- Make a solution from 20 to 30 g of baking soda and 10 l of boiling water and use it several times
- Leave several days between applications and scrub again and again
Fighting with biodegradable products from specialist retailers proves to be less sweaty. These include Compo Bio moss-free or Celaflor Naturen moss-free and Natria 3 hours organic weed-free. Here, on the other hand, you are usually not spared the manual rework. Self-cleaning products such as Celaflor Stone Cleaner or GrünEx Stone Cleaner are based on chemical ingredients and all the associated risks to health and nature.
tips
Neither moss nor lichen do any damage to trees. Both the green terrestrial plants and the colorful biotic communities only use the bark as a substrate to hold on to. Moss and lichen do not act as parasites, so control is not necessary.