Oak Tree Moss Removal

Oak tree moss removal is one job that isn’t as simple as it seems. In fact, many property owners would call for professional assistance to remove moss growth and bring back the oak’s beauty. 

Oak trees truly are one of the most majestic types of trees you can have in your landscape. That’s because they are so hardy and require very little extra maintenance. One of the most common occurrences with oak trees is the appearance of unsightly moss. This leads many homeowners to want to do some form of oak tree moss removal. It’s a procedure that can be done by almost any homeowner or people can hire a tree professional to do it too. We will go over a few of the basic steps that most people use to get rid of ball moss which is the most common moss found on oak trees. 

Moss Killing Won’t Save a Dying Tree

One thing that you must note is that if you are trying to save a dying oak tree by doing oak tree moss removal, you are most likely wasting your time. That’s because having ball moss on an oak tree does not significantly harm it. It just makes an oak tree look unsightly unless it weighs down branches by becoming severely overgrown on them. So, you may want to call a professional tree service to come to look at your dying oak tree to determine what is causing it to be unhealthy and give you a recommended course of treatment. 

Start by Severing Branches with The Most Moss

The first step in the oak tree moss removal process is to lop-off any dead branches on a tree and the ones that have so much ball moss on them it is severely weighing those branches down. If you do not feel you know to properly cut off branches, then shearing the moss off to diminish it is ok too.  

Use a Homemade Spray Mixture on the Moss to Kill It

Once you have removed the dead branches and trimmed off the heavily covered ones, next you need to make a homemade solution to spray on the remaining moss to kill it. But first, start by trying to spray off as much of the remaining ball moss as possible with a high-pressure nozzle on an ordinary garden hose. This will remove much more moss than you might expect. Next, you will need to make up a solution of baking soda and water. Your mixture will consist of ½ pound of baking soda for every gallon of water that you use in your mix. The solution should then be put in a backpack sprayer and sprayed directly on as much of the remaining ball moss on the tree as possible. 

If this does not work for your oak tree moss removal, you will have to buy a much stronger mixture to spray on your oak trees. Stubborn ball moss can almost always be removed by using a strong copper-based fungicide. You just have to be more careful when applying it because it will kill many plants that it comes into contact with. That’s why it’s usually best to try the baking soda solution first and it works a majority of the time. 

Tree Maintenance Pros in New Smyrna Beach, FL

Oak tree moss removal may be DIY’d, but there are times when a property owner simply doesn’t have time to do it or the moss problem is just too big already. When this is the case, call the New Smyrna Beach tree maintenance experts at Aardvark Tree Service. We also provide tree removal, tree trimming, tree pruning, and many more tree-related jobs. Call us at 386-310-8022 for a free quote.