[Hardy-l] Moss on the roof

[Patrick Roper]

Rosemarie - at present the advice is to adopt the traditional practise of
repairing and patching thatch.  Re-thatching of the entire roof system
should be avoided.  Another moss, heath star moss (Campylopus introflexus) -
an introduction probably from New Zealand - can become dominant on a roof
and can be lightly raked off.  "This has been successful on Hardy's Cottage,
where following raking off ... L. gemmascens increased, presumably from
gemmae lodged in the thatch coat, although C. introflexus eventually grew
back."

Translocation is another option where little bits of thatch moss are marked
and moved from one place to another.  

Heath star moss was first recorded in Britain in 1941 and is now one of the
commonest mosses in UK.  It is an interesting thought that mossy thatched
roofs must have looked rather different in TH's day due to the absence of C.
introflexus and, perhaps, the greater abundance of L. gemmascens.

Kind regards,

Patrick

-----Original Message-----
From: Rosemarie Morgan [mailto:Rosemarie.morgan at yale.edu] 
Sent: 22 November 2008 18:27
To: hardy-l at coyote.csusm.edu
Subject: Re: [Hardy-l] Moss on the roof

Patrick- How would they re-thatch the roof while preserving the moss?