Wearing gloves, try peeling or picking it off with your hands from the tree bark. Because it isn’t rooted in trees it should be easy to pick off, especially if its growth is thick. If you are not a fan of the moss on your trees, a natural way to get rid of it is to remove it with your hands. Fortunately, it can be very easy to remove from your trees before it becomes problematic. Not only will it cover your trees, but it can overtake your lawn and even grow on your house (which is actually harmful). Removing Moss from TreesĪlthough moss isn’t usually harmful, if it overtakes your trees it can smother new buds and become a nuisance if you have a lot of growth. In addition, because moss grows more thickly on older trees, this can make it difficult to notice potential health problems like disease and tree death. This may make for dangerous conditions during windy storms and other inclement weather. Thick moss growth on trees is heavy and can throw trees off balance. While green moss on trees isn’t necessarily harmful, it can contribute to a myriad of potential problems. In addition, moss tends to prefer to grow on older trees with less vitality than younger trees. Moss thrives in damp, dark areas, so regions covered by shadows or consistent cloud cover are more susceptible to moss growth. What causes green moss on trees?Ĭollectively known as lichens, algae and moss, this green growth arises because the environmental conditions allowed for it. Here’s our quick rundown on moss, and how to prevent and remove moss from your trees. This means they are not parasitic and they derive their nutrition from the air, not the tree, so while the weight could be dangerous, the moss itself isn’t harmful. The good news is that most moss plants are epiphyte. While the short answer is no, the extra weight moss lays upon on older trees can weaken their stability in windy storms and hide potential tree diseases from view. A common question that homeowners ask us is whether moss on trees is dangerous to tree health. Finding moss growth on trees is highly common in Washington and Oregon because of our rainy, wet climate.

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