Pathway Moss

We have Marilyn in Jackson, who says, ‘Good morning. We couldn’t clean moss off our patio bricks for a couple of years because of illness. We’ve got it done now. Is there any spray or anything you would suggest to maybe not let it get so bad?’

There’s a couple different sprays that we use on the patios. The environment, though, is going to allow that moss to come back. It’s probably partly shaded, and the spores from the moss that there generally is going to come back.

After getting it clean initially, some people will seal the patio with a clear sealant. That would also help prevent the spores from being able to get a root hold into the cracks and stuff where the brick is, because there’s moisture there and that’s where the plants are naturally going to attach and grow. If you could seal the patio, that would maybe be an option to help it stay cleaner for a longer period of time.

We don’t sell sealer here at the nursery. That’s a place where you would want to go to a place that sells brick and block. Mathie Supply, or SiteOne off of Whipple, those places sell brick and block, and you can get the sealers for those patios at those places.

When the environment is like it is, it’s conducive for growing the moss. If you seal it, you prevent it from being an issue in the first place and prevent it from getting a root hold into the patio. Sealer’s probably your best effort to reduce its regrowth. If you’ve got it all cleaned, that’s the best time to seal it because the pores are open and the sealer will sink down into the pores.

Take a picture of your brick in the patio too for one of those two places to look at. That way they can see what style brick you have, and they’ll make a good recommendation for a sealer. Shade, high moisture. Those are just environments that’s very conducive for the algae and moss to grow. And the brick as it gets older is porous, and so it allows for it to set in by sealing it and kind of close off some of the areas that it would normally grow. And I’m not saying it wouldn’t grow, but it would definitely slow the regrowth of it by doing a good sealer on it once you have it cleaned all the way.

Questions? Email us at [email protected] or call one of our two locations: Portage (330-499-0101) or Everhard (330-492-1243).