Removing Ball Moss

A lot of our customers are curious about ball moss and whether or not it is necessary to remove it. It can be incredibly unsightly and because of this, many people are concerned that it can be harmful as well. In reality, you should not worry about ball moss, but we still recommend taking care of it during your regular tree trimmings.

One of the most common misconceptions concerning ball moss is that it is a parasite. This is not true; instead ball moss is a type of plant known as an epiphyte. This means that instead of getting its nutrients from your trees, it will grow using a combination of sunlight and the moisture that it draws out of the air. Because epiphytes are able to easily draw moisture out of the air in order to survive, they are sometimes known as air plants. This is why you will find ball moss and other epiphytes on fences as well as trees.

Another common misconception is that ball moss is similar to mistletoe but in reality they are quite different. Mistletoe by nature is a parasite and this means that it lives by taking nutrients from the tree it chooses to attach to. As mentioned, ball moss is not a parasite; it is an epiphyte so the two plants are very different. Despite that, our team of experts still recommends that you remove ball moss as well as mistletoe when you have your trees trimmed. While ball moss is unlikely to kill your tree, mistletoe may if it is not cut out of the tree.

Although in most cases ball moss is simply unsightly and will not cause any harm to your tree, it is possible that if you leave it unattended it will continue growing and cover your tree. If this happens, it may create too much shade making it harder for your tree to grow leaves and otherwise thrive.

Simply give us a call if you want more information about ball moss removal or tree service in general in the San Antonio area.