Trunk moss, Melaleucas & callistimons

Share your success stories about defoliation, bare rooting and anything else relating to maintaining healthy bonsai.
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MelaQuin
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Trunk moss, Melaleucas & callistimons

Post by MelaQuin »

Any hints on minimising moss growing up the trunks of paperbarks? One I have to keep in a water tray or water three times a day. I have removed most of the others from water trays to try to reduce this but even that step is not fully effective. They are on benches that get early morning sun to about 3 pm and plenty of circulating air.

I have trained a special callistimon to live out of a water tray - which means twice a day watering as it is voracious - and the moss is creeping up the trunk. When I check the very open soil - it is NOT wet on or near the surface. This particular tree is not robust, it is, in fact, a bloody pain. But the trunk is so interesting that I persist in working with it to try to get it to show condition. Ha bloody ha. But moss on this trunk is not good.
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Pup
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Re: Trunk moss, Melaleucas & callistimons

Post by Pup »

MelaQuin wrote:Any hints on minimising moss growing up the trunks of paperbarks? One I have to keep in a water tray or water three times a day. I have removed most of the others from water trays to try to reduce this but even that step is not fully effective. They are on benches that get early morning sun to about 3 pm and plenty of circulating air.

I have trained a special callistimon to live out of a water tray - which means twice a day watering as it is voracious - and the moss is creeping up the trunk. When I check the very open soil - it is NOT wet on or near the surface. This particular tree is not robust, it is, in fact, a bloody pain. But the trunk is so interesting that I persist in working with it to try to get it to show condition. Ha bloody ha. But moss on this trunk is not good.
G,day MelaQuin, I have in the past had this problem. I use Vinegar in a spray bottle it works well. It is a repetitive process though as moss spore seems to be every where. It does no harm to the tree it will also kill juvenile weeds. :) Pup
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