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It sounds like you need better drainage under your patio. Whatever material you replace it with, make sure you lay enough gravel and sand, excavated away from the house and into a French drain that is under the patio. That way water won't sit on your patio. Don't use grout, you want water to easily escape between your pavers so it can drain down into the sand and gravel and get to the French drain.
As for the plantings, you can water them without having a spray going across the patio. You can hook up a drip hose for the foundation plantings instead.
It's unfortunately not just the wet, it's the funk in the water. I have a small patio adjacent to the front door that has the same type of concrete pavers and it is on the south side of the house with no shade, yet still suffers the black funk buildup repeatedly after monthly pressure washings. I run the irrigation twice per week and it's not as if it never dries out there, in fact with the constant direct sun exposure it dries rather rapidly. It sounds as if less porous natural stone (like flagstone) will be my only option.
Ummm, more likely is is "sooty mold", which is endemic to parts of south Florida. It'll grow on your car if you let it. As I mentioned, diluted bleach is one of the few ways to keep it under control.
Ummm, more likely is is "sooty mold", which is endemic to parts of south Florida. It'll grow on your car if you let it. As I mentioned, diluted bleach is one of the few ways to keep it under control.
Oh my. I'm glad most of that stuff that happens in Florida stays in Florida.
Here's the thing though: why do you think the natural stone will help? I know the concrete pavers can be specifically made to be more porous, but I'm not seeing why that would be a big factor in the funk. I'm not sure the stone would stain any less.
Porous stone in high humidity environments maintain moisture even if not readily apparent at the surface which provides the perfect environment for "funk" to grow. Smooth/less porous material works against the process, particularly in sunlight.
Some regions have better sense of humor than others!
I know, thankfully I live in one of them.
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