moss killing chemicals?

[Dru]

I have heard that powdered zinc works well as a moss killer - spread it on top of a crag in the late fall and come back in spring time to find all the moss dead.

Some of these areas out in the Valley where routes and problems have been scrubbed 4 oir 5 years ago and are vanishing back into the moss have me depressed. I really don't want to have to spend a day scrubbing a boulder every time I want to climb it.

Can anyone who has experimented with powdered zinc or other chemicals (not Agent Orange or Roundup, I want something toxic to moss but hopefully not humans) comment on their effectiveness?

[bradley3297]

Ya how about ending that idea where it started. All we need is chemicals in the woods. what a selfish environment damaging idea. why are you even here>LOL

[slhughes]

i hear there is a web site called 'firstworldproblem.com'. that might be a good place for you to cyber mingle dru. i mean, by the time you've cleaned your boulder again (again! god i just did this five years ago) your latte could well be cold. if that doesn't answer your question, pour gasoline over the moss and set fire to the cocksucker.
tosser.

[Brendan]

lol. apparently you people don't know who you're talking to... this is the DRU. you know... the one and only...

[MGarcia]

Ashes to ashes...
Zinc comes from the ground, just give it back this winter, see what happens.

Or sodium hypochlorite, after it does its thing, the chlorine evaporates and salt is left behind. It does not last years though.

Gas is good but it has to be rainy so you don't create a forest fire. don't let it pool on pockets or the rock will crack.

[Brendan]

Gas is good...

just seems wrong

[bradley3297]

Yep. cant expect something to kill moss and not damage other plant life and the ecosystem at the same time dont be naive.

[dakine]

I don't know how you'd be able to apply it to the rock but roofers used to use strips of Copper (as well as Zinc) on house roofs to kill / prevent moss from growing.

[Dru]

trhanks for the helpful responses; to be clearer, my original question was more about some inhibitor to prevent moss regrowing on a scrubbed boulder over the winter rather than something to replace scrubbing entirely. i understand that powerwashing, come-alongs and so on are standard for Squamish cleaning projects nowadays but i don't have the budget for those...

[hafilax]

Inspired by dakine's post I did a quick search and this article turned up.
http://www.pesticide.org/RoofMoss.html
It sounds like zinc strips might be a viable solution but the environmental impact of having them on a lot of boulders in a small area might be an issue.

[Dru]

Ya, I found this

http://bryophytes.science.oregonstate.edu/page24.htm

That suggests bleach is perhaps the best option aside from "physical removal" ie wirebrushes.

[smallman]

Copper sulfate in solution with water would work. (they use it for pressure treated lumber to prevent moss growth). But it would likely turn your route blue. the best vegetation killer is traffic - get your problem in squamish select and there won't be any moss growing on it.

[mikew]

Until we get the traffic out here it's going to be a problem. Some "SQUAMISH" climbers who visited Harrison were pretty impressed and said they were glad to be climbing in our neighborhood where there were no line ups.....
It's only going to get better because there are quite a few more people showing up at the crags as of late. BTW Got 4 more lines that'll be cleaned up just around the corner from your arete.

[5.4 Slayer]

you got any routes that stay dry in light rain Mike? If so, how many?

[MarkR]

Or sodium hypochlorite, after it does its thing, the chlorine evaporates and salt is left behind. It does not last years though.

Hm. Sodium hypochlorite...you mean bleach?

Really?