Ok I get the joking. Once I looked through the forums a bit I found most of the answers I was looking for, plus more. Some responses were a bit callous but it was helpful in spite of it. For the guy in the future with the same questions as me this is what I've learned thus far...
Be sure to rinse plants before during and after cleaning. You'll need a helper. Secondly, it's good to cover plants up IN ADDITION to that for extra protection. But don't leave plastic on too long or you risk the sun burning them up. If the roof has gutters, you can use an extra hose that drains the gutters while your spraying roof. Also, If the house has gutters, it's safe to leave chemicals on the roof and let the rain do the job of rinsing, as the gutters will help protect the plants from the chemicals that will run off during the rain. Also, while spraying, you have to run a line from the downspout to a place where the runoff can drain into a safe place away from plants and grass. It's good to advise the home owner to continue spraying their plants for up to three days as a safety precaution.
If the roof does not have gutters, it may be best that you rinse the roof your self and catch the run off. The way you do that I am unclear but my idea is that you would run plastic from the roof and direct water into a commercial size trash or something like it, where you can take and pour the water out in a safe place. That's just an idea on my part, ask the experts, they can help you better (it's where I got this info). The reason you would rinse the roof that doesn't have gutters is because the rain will wash those chemicals down to the ground after you're gone and it will kill the plants. I saw a photo of Apple Roof Cleanings beginning days and it wasn't pretty. It also costed money to replace. Thank God these guys are willing to share some of their mistakes so we can learn from them and not make the same ones.
Lastly, what chemical to use can be a tough one. Using 12.5 SH is definitely a preferred chemical. Mix it with water and my favorite, roof snot. People share different ideas on ratio, but Russ from Southside Equipment recommended 15g of 12.5, 35g of water, and a little over a quart of roof snot for a 50g mix. For cedar shake roofs I would recommend checking out Sullivan Roof Cleaning in the forums. Also Apple Roof Cleaning. Those guys are very knowledgeable and helpful. There's also a roof cleaning institute of america that I found a lot of answers from. So for the new guy needing answers, Hope this helps you! Anyone else, feel free to add to.
Josh
