Removing moss from my roof?

July 24, 2005 10:58 PM

Home&GardenFilter: I am looking for a non-toxic way to control moss on my roof, preferably homemade.

I'd like to use a cistern to catch roof runoff to use in the garden, but I am hesitant to do so if I can't find a good organic moss-repelling product that won't kill all the rest of my plants. I am tempted to simply remove the moss by hand (or with a power washer), but that could damage the roof. Suggestions?

I read that stringing copper wire across the roof will leach enough copper down the slope to prevent moss. Has that worked for anyone?

posted by intoxicate to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

Copper has worked for me, but you have to remove every trace of existing moss in order to give it a fair start. I've also heard that can zinc can be effective. In my case the roof in question was surrounded by wilderness/forest rather than a garden, so it's difficult to say how the vegetation was affected by the copper runoff.

This is very close to the technique I used to install the copper.
posted by defreckled at 12:59 AM on July 25, 2005

Zinc can indeed be effective - in the marine industry, it is called "sacrificial zinc" - because the strip that you'll put up there will eventually go away. It is also non-toxic, and generally should be cheaper than copper (although copper prices are way down right now).
posted by dbmcd at 10:18 AM on July 25, 2005