4 Ways to Stop Plants From Growing in Your Gutters

You want to keep your gutters clean. If you are noticing that plants are growing in your gutters, this means that they are not doing the job they’re meant to do. Below are four tips for stopping plants from growing in your gutters.

1. Regularly Clean Your Gutters

The biggest thing that you can do to help stop plants from growing in the gutters is to regularly clean them. Check the gutters once every three months and make sure you’re cleaning out any debris like dirt and leaves that you are finding. This can be done simply by climbing up a ladder and putting your hand (which you have protected with a glove) into your gutter and scooping the gutter out.

If you’d prefer not using your hand, it’s possible to use your pressure washer or a trowel. Be sure that you’re using the correct size trowel, or you might poke or scrape your gutter’s sides and damage it. If you decide to pressure washer them, then there are attachments for gutter cleaning. Just hook that attachment on your gutter’s side and water will spray and clear any debris.

2. Clean Your Downspouts

Downspouts often get clogged, and this means that water’s pushed up and under your roof edge or into your gutters. It can be a little harder to clean because you’re unable to reach or see inside.

The simplest way that you can clean your downspouts is to spray your hose in the downspout beginning at the top and you’ll see the debris being pushed out its bottom.

If this doesn’t work, you can take your plumber’s snake and use it for shaking the debris free.

3. Check Your Gutter’s Slope

One of the reasons debris will accumulate in the gutters is the gutters aren’t sloped properly so that debris and water is moved down so that it goes you’re your downspout. Your gutters ought to be sloped ¼ – ½” for each 10 feet long it is.

The simplest way that you can see if your gutters are properly sloped is to stand at its far end and look down the gutter’s length. It should be sloping downward. If you’re finding issues with the slop, it’s possible to rehang your gutter so that the slope is adjusted.

4. Install Some Gutter Guards

These can help with keeping the debris out which can turn into some compost, creating soil that seeds love. They can either made from wire mesh or porous foam. You put these guards in your gutter or over its opening and they’re going to give your gutters a barrier for debris such as leaves. The water still falls through into your gutter. However, pine needles, leaves and other kinds of debris will be blocked and fall off eventually.

They’re inexpensive and can be easily installed, so they’re a great solution to help you keep the gutters clean. Make sure that those gutter gardens that are in your yard are those that you purposefully made. These tips can help you with keeping the gutters clean as well as keeping them free of plants and seeds. This will help you with having gutters that are more efficiently functioning and keeping the water from your roof and house.

About Gulf Coast Exteriors

GCE Gutters is a residential and commercial gutter service committed to providing professional quality service at a competitively low prices in Fort Myers and Cape Coral Florida. Let GCE Gutters show you how we are becoming the area’s finest gutter cleaning, repair and installation company in Lee County.