Common algae that form on roof surfaces including asphalt shingles and roll roofing include the algae shown above and gleocapsa magma a species that generally appears black on the roof surface but under some lighting conditions even on the roof gleocapsa magma can appear as a blue green color as might other algae genera species.
Green algae on roof tiles.
There is no damage to the shingles.
Tile or mexican tile roofs.
The shingles look brand new.
The most common class of roof algae is gloeocapsa magma a bacterium that eats water and expels oxygen.
Living in a humid area of the country like florida you ve probably seen your asphalt shingle roofs with unsightly dark streaks on them.
Commonly found in climates with warm humid summers it does no damage to the roofing but it certainly does looks bad.
Wood shingles or wood shakes roofing.
How to get rid of algae on the roof.
Here s what the shingles looked like after removing the green algae.
The black mold like stains and streaks that appear on roofs particularly light colored asphalt shingles is actually a blue green algae gloeocapsa magma.
You may think you have roof algae when really you have moss mildew or mold.
Metal roof or metal roofing.
If you have green stains on your deck or siding it s probably due to either cholophyta algae green algae or a cyanobacterium related to gloeocapsa magma.
The green color comes from chlorophyll which is the same substance that makes plants green.
A blue green algae known as gloeocapsa magma could be the reason you have the algae which is spread by airborne spores sometimes it can also be caused by an accumulation of mildew mold dirt or defective shingles.
The algae can cause black or gray streaks that seem to run down your roof.
Algae grow most often on wood and asphalt shingles or concrete tiles especially if they do not get a lot of sunlight.