# Moss problem



## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

One of my tracks on my two track main line is handlaid with oak ties and brass rails. As the weather has changed, we get much more rain and this has lead to my ballast (which is over scale size loose ballast) being invaded by moss. My track is ground level on a concrete base in clayish soil as we are beneath a forest on the north side of the valley's which is a hundred and fifty feet away. Getting rid of this moss is a real chore taking a huge amount of time every spring. it is also getting painful as I grow older. I am looking for a solution to get rid of it chemically with no success so far. The chemical must not harm the wood in the ties, the brass (many use copper oxide...), nor the grass which is next to the concrete base... Qite a dilemna.


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

I actually like the moss look myself. I wish I had your problem  Got any photos to share, I'd love to see it.

Have you tried Roundup - from Home Depot, Lowe's or Ace? I have not found anything green it will not kill off. Spray on a non-windy day, and when it will not rain for 24 hours. Use a cardboard barrier (hold it vertically as you spray) between the track and the grass so you don't accidentally get it on the grass. They have the new gallon size that comes with an automatic pump and wand. Makes it a piece of cake, like the pros.

-Jim


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Just spray on some vinegar/water mix, that should take care of it.


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## Tomahawk & Western RR (Sep 22, 2015)

Ha! mee too! have been trying to get moss to grow in and aound my tracks! i think it looks kinda like 1:20.3 grass


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

When I use "Ortho weed be gone" on weeds in the layout, it also kills the moss. Which in my case is unfortunate because I like the moss. The advantage of this Ortho product is that it doesn't kill grass. I can zap weeds in the lawn with it and kill the weeds, and not harm the grass.

All of the "green" ground cover is moss.










I find that it peals up very easily in areas where I don't want it. 

Chuck


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## Doug C (Jan 14, 2008)

When not viable to extract by hand tools, I use only straight household vinegar to suppress 'weeds'.

It won't kill you (and significant others), like other chem'. imho.

doug c


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Wish I had a moss problem, I desire the tracks to be overgrown with moss so all I see are mostly the rails and not the ties or ballest. Mike


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

I model two roads that had pretty neat track in the period I am modeling Pennsy and the Nord railway of france, both tended to have manucured ballast and track. 
Also one of my two tracks is hand laid and is on oak ties (that have stood up some 38 years in parts) so I want to keep the moss out of that. Just as a way to keep the ties from rotting. My track is on concrete base in clayish soil. Northern exposure except in summer. The problem was critical this spring because we had endless rain from April until July.
On sidings and in the engine terminal I enjoy moss too but keep it away from the high iron! I cant post photos or haven't succeded so far. Charles printed some photos of my pike a few years back.


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## TLR (May 9, 2015)

du-bousquetaire said:


> I model two roads that had pretty neat track in the period I am modeling Pennsy and the Nord railway of france, both tended to have manucured ballast and track.
> Also one of my two tracks is hand laid and is on oak ties (that have stood up some 38 years in parts) so I want to keep the moss out of that. Just as a way to keep the ties from rotting. My track is on concrete base in clayish soil. Northern exposure except in summer. The problem was critical this spring because we had endless rain from April until July.
> On sidings and in the engine terminal I enjoy moss too but keep it away from the high iron! I cant post photos or haven't succeded so far. Charles printed some photos of my pike a few years back.


I have used wooden sleepers [ ties ] [ hardwood parquet flooring tiles cut to size ] with brass flat bottomed rail pinned to them, they get a coat of creosote or it's modern equivalent every three years, so far no moss on the track but it grows either side where the conditions allow it.
The track is loose ballasted with screws to hold it in positon where needed, some of it has been down for some twenty five years.

Shaun


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Actually Shaun moss wasn't a problem untill quite recently when the climate changed and we got a lot more rain and longer rainy spells (this year it lasted three months). Then it got bad and soon became a chore to get rid of. I am thinking of covering up the ereas most hit this winter to see if it saves the hastle. Also our northern exposure means that my track practically never sees the direct sunlight from late October to March, during which time the moss thrives. It is also wet nearly that whole period of the year. But for a good 25 years Moss wasn't a problem. It started when I experimented with glued scale ballast. Some sections have stood up very well with glued ballast some were invaded after a couple of years. My track is on concrete but surrounded with grass (and moss in the grass) This makes a nice scenic effect but is quite different from most US pikes seen where the track is lost in a sea of gravel. Thats OK if you model the West but I model French and Appalachian roads.


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## roster (Mar 6, 2017)

It's been quite awhile and I hope that you would have got rid of the moss by now.


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## Eric01 (Mar 2, 2017)

Moss is really frustrating. I normally try to clean them with vinegar and washing soap. But it is too hard to clean it off.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Ironically, there was an article in Garden Railways over a decade ago on how to GROW moss on rocks along the garden railway. The author mixed moss with buttermilk in a blender, then "painted" the solution onto the desired rocks. In some places, at least, the moss is harder to encourage than to eradicate.

Regards,
David Meashey


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Since we are on the subject of thread necromancy, it seems either people have too much or not enough.

"roster", is there any reason you picked an almost year ole, random thread and asked the guy what's up? Nothing to add? No other interest in growing or killing moss?

Greg


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Well here we are in March now, and this covering up seems to be giving good results. I used some extruded plastic wall covering for bathrooms. It is white two layers with air in between, is about a foot and a half wide and comes in long ten foot pieces. I laid it on the double track and just put a brick on it. wherever it is present there is practically no moss. Where it hasn't covered, like along some edges, it is green with moss. Using most moss preventive chemicals seemed inneficient and also many oxidise more the brass rail. So far so good...


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Greg 1,049


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

The plastic sheeting over the tracks did the job of protecting the erea where moss used to grow. Its cheap easy to install or remove and as we have an early autumn and I will be away for a while it has been replaced after this summer of fun. I did not do any moss removal this year and my back and knees thank this easy sollution.


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## Luci8478 (May 14, 2020)

great!


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## stellify (Aug 10, 2020)

Moss likes acidic soil, might be worth trying to neutralize the acidity with lime or something


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Since I have moved further south. But the plastic sheeting did the job very well saving me the tedious job of pruning the moss out of the lose ballast. At the rate of about 3 hours per linear meter with tweezers! Of course if I was modeling the EBT or some of the Colorado narrow gauge it would have been a welcome adition. Unfortunatly for me the Pennsy prided itself in its manicured ballast of the broad way. This section is the exact radius of Horseshoe curve. I think that I will lay a short track on the round platform to the right and put my Lionel GP9 on it.
Best, Simon


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