How to remove unwanted Moss...?

[Bonsaiforest]

Hi All,
I have a problem with moss growing over the nebari and up the base of trunks on some of my trees. My Chinese Elm has Moss that keeps returning around the nebari and exposed roots have all but rotted away. My tiger bark fig has it growing quite high up on one side of trunk roots seem to be fine with no damage. Now my favourite "Azalea Sao To Me" 2001 has its nebari covered and moss growing all the way just under the first lowest branch & has now progressed to growing around the inner edge of pot on top soil. I keep taking it off but it always returns. Is there a chemical or solution that I can use to rid the moss from my plants with out risk of negative effects or weakening of my trees. Any help & or solutions would be Great...

Thanks

[benbonsai]

Should sort itself out once the weather heats up

[Alby R]

Dim the lights and watch this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdR4MT1BpxA

Or,

I remember reading something about using a mixture of vinegar & water (50/50) in a spray bottle can sort the moss out (kill it) as well.

It’s a good idea to keep the moss away from the surface roots & base of your tree (says the guy with moss creeping up on the base of his own elm)

Good luck

[shibui]

Some mo9ss species prefer to grow on trunks while others prefer ground.
I have one moss here that is definitely arboreal and climbs trunks and even grows in the branches.

I've used the 50:50 vinegar water mix for years now. It definitely kills the moss but does not seem to harm the trees. It only affects the moss you spray onto so for effective control I need to spray all round the trunk and any moss in the branches.
I try to avoid hitting leaves if possible but I have not noticed any leaf problems after spraying except for a tray of pine seedlings that I fully sprayed last summer. The seedlings were definitely set back and some even died so my advice is to limit contact with the foliage.
I have not tried different vinegar concentrations to see if weaker solution would work as well or stronger solution better or worse. Maybe something for some others to explore??

Vinegar is not a permanent solution to moss. If you have a source and the right conditions moss will grow back eventually. I spray 2-3 times a year here to manage that climbing moss.

[Bonsaiforest]

Hi Neil, thanks very much will try it when the bad weather up here in Sydney settles and the sun breaks through… assuming that it would be more affective in dryer conditions?

[shibui]

I have never tried spraying in the rain so cannot say. I guess it depends how quick the vinegar affects the moss. It certainly turns brown in just a day or 2 so maybe first contact is enough and rain won't matter.
You could try and let us know what happens.....

[Ryceman3]

You can just use straight vinegar (no need to bother diluting) with a small, medium or large paint brush depending on the area to be covered and dab it on. I did it about 2 days ago and am now the proud owner of dead moss on the trunk of my melaleuca which was getting overgrown. I watered it thoroughly beforehand … so that I didn’t need to water it for a few days afterwards, but I doubt that really matters... since it rained shortly after application. The moss directly next to the bit I painted remains green and healthy, only the part dabbed by the paintbrush with vinegar is affected.
You can use whatever vinegar you like… malt, apple cider, white, brown… it makes no difference.

[kcpoole]

I have sprayed moss as Shibui described with no ill effects and is a lighter touch on sensitive bark than painting on.
Just needs to stay dry long enough for the vinegar to dry as far as i can tell.

Ken

[Bougy Fan]

Copper sulphate. Dilute the crystals in water and spray. Will only kill the moss and will not harm the foliage.

[Pearcy001]

Out of interest, can the dead moss after it has dried be burnt away by a lighter? Or is further removal not required? I'll try the vinegar spray at some point, but wondering if further removal of the dead moss is required?

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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[Ryceman3]

Here’s a shot of the tree I was talking about from this morning. I don’t really have too many issues painting it on and as you can see you can be very specific about where it’s applied. I read from the original post the issue was nebari/trunk rather than trying to remove moss entirely from the tree and soil surface.
@Pearcy001, Generally I’ll wait until it’s completely dead and if it hasn’t just fallen off I’ll pick off the remainder with tweezers. I guess you could burn it if you like? The trees I have done have not had particularly fissured bark which I presume would make removal a bit more time consuming/difficult.

[Pearcy001]

Here’s a shot of the tree I was talking about from this morning. I don’t really have too many issues painting it on and as you can see you can be very specific about where it’s applied. I read from the original post the issue was nebari/trunk rather than trying to remove moss entirely from the tree and soil surface.
@Pearcy001, Generally I’ll wait until it’s completely dead and if it hasn’t just fallen off I’ll pick off the remainder with tweezers. I guess you could burn it if you like? The trees I have done have not had particularly fissured bark which I presume would make removal a bit more time consuming/difficult.

I probably needed to give my last comment more context haha - burning away was in relation to a species like a flakey Casuarina trunk that would rip the bark away, not a species that can have it more easily removed. I was guessing the dead moss would still remain and need removing after it was sprayed, not just fall away.

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[shibui]

I've tried removing it but, even dead, it's still stuck on pretty tight so I usually leave the dead moss on the trees. It seems to disappear after a while anyway.

[Rory]

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=30317

The above is a time lapse I will update showing the product 'Yates Anti-Rot' to remove MOSS.