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How to Kill Ball Moss

Ball moss (Tillandsia recurvata) is usually harmless since it is unlike true moss that absorbs valuable nutrients from the trees. Instead, ball moss uses a tree as its home, not its food source. Over time, ball moss can become heavy and dense. This can cause your tree to bud less and may kill some of the branches. Whether the ball moss is harming your tree or you simply do not like the way it looks, there are ways to kill ball moss which do not require any chemicals.

Put on the garden gloves. Remove as much ball moss as you can with your hands. Use a ladder, if necessary. Landscapers often use cherry pickers. Throw the balls away in bags or take them to your local dump.

  • Ball moss (Tillandsia recurvata) is usually harmless since it is unlike true moss that absorbs valuable nutrients from the trees.
  • Whether the ball moss is harming your tree or you simply do not like the way it looks, there are ways to kill ball moss which do not require any chemicals.

Power wash the tree. Use a low setting to wash away the ball moss. Discard the ball moss so that it does not reseed.

Mix the baking soda and water in a spray bottle. Wet the ball moss with a hose and spray it with the baking soda and water mixture. The wet moss will absorb the mixture and die.

Apply a fungicide as an alternative to the baking soda mixture. Use a fungicide that contains copper, such as Kocide 101, and is labeled to kill ball moss. Apply the fungicide according to the manufacturer's instructions.

  • Use a low setting to wash away the ball moss.

Kill Ball Moss

Ball moss can be quite the nuisance for people living in the southern part of the United States, as well as those as far south as Chile. While ball moss hardly affects healthy trees, it can prove detrimental to trees that are not in the greatest health. Doing so takes relatively few steps and requires few resources. Ball moss tends to grow on dead or dying limbs, so removing them will decrease your odds of the ball moss returning. Mix up a mixture of baking soda and water. You will need 1/2 pound of baking soda for every one gallon of water. For example, if you use 10 gallons of water, you will need five pounds of baking soda. Put the mixture in a sprayer and spray all around areas of the tree where ball moss is located. Use a copper fungicide if the above efforts have failed. You can find copper fungicide at garden supply stores or online at gardening sites.

  • Ball moss can be quite the nuisance for people living in the southern part of the United States, as well as those as far south as Chile.
  • While ball moss hardly affects healthy trees, it can prove detrimental to trees that are not in the greatest health.

Tip

Read fungicide labels carefully to determine whether they will harm or kill nearby plants.

Do not get the copper fungicide on any other objects, such as a nearby building, as it can leave a blue stain.

Warning

Some fungicides are only safe for use on certain types of trees, such as live oak and pecan trees.

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