What's your question? Ask

Pear Trees

Q.Fruit Trees Have Some Kind of Moss

Anonymous added on April 11, 2011 | Answered

We just moved in to this new house and the backyard has four fruit trees (pears, apple), but the trees are covered in some kind of moss–dark green-looking, flaky stuff (similar to dandruff). There’s hardly any leaves and I removed some of them by water spraying and manually taking them off the trees, but there just so many.

What is it and what can I do to remove them? Are they harmful to the trees? I assume they are since the trees do not have any leaves. We are in the Tacoma, Washington area.

A.Answers to this queston: Add Answer
Nikki
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
Answered on April 12, 2011

The moss like substance is most likely lichen. It is probably not what is causing the trees to fail, but is rather a symptom that the tree is ill as they do like to attach to trees that are unhealthy. Besides lost leaves, do the trees have any other signs of being ill so that we can try to identify it for you?

This article will explain more about lichen:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/fungus-lichen/treatment-tree-lichen.htm

Was this answer useful?
00

Log in or sign up to help answer this question.

Did you find this helpful? Share it with your friends!

You must be logged into your account to answer a question.

If you don't have an account sign up for an account now.

Looking for more?
here are more questions about...
Pear Trees
Join Us - Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips!

Do you know a lot about gardening?
Become a GKH Gardening Expert

OK