It's green; it's slimy; it's slippery. It's growing on your lawn, your patio, your steps and walkways-even your roof and siding. If you've ever lived through several humid or wet days, you probably have had to deal with moss or algae.
"Dampness combined with heavy shade and poor air circulation are the ingredients that create moss and algae," says Bayer Advanced™ Garden Expert Lance Walheim, who wrote the book "Lawn Care for Dummies" and is a regular contributor to Sunset magazine. "They make your house look dirty and on your patio, it's easy for children or the elderly to slip and fall."
Pruning trees to increase sunlight can help prevent moss and algae over the long run. Adjusting the pH of your soil can help reduce the green slime in your lawn. You can also spend a few hundred dollars a year to have the exterior of your home cleaned.
In the past, if you wanted to get rid of that nasty green stuff, the do-it-yourself approach required a scrub brush and a bucket of water mixed with bleach.
"Mixing bleach is always a challenge," says Walheim. "You have to make it strong enough to get the job done but the fumes can be awfully strong too. You also have to scrub like crazy to get into all those nooks and crannies."
Now, however, there is another alternative with no scrubbing required-Bayer Advanced 2-in-1 Moss and Algae Killer. This is a fast-acting moss, algae and lichen killer that can be applied to lawns, as well as steps and walkways, patios, shingles, stucco, wood decks and fences, roofs and even the exteriors of cars and boats.
On wood, concrete and asphalt, a single application of the product will control moss and algae for up to one year and it does not stain surfaces.