The Somewhat Bad: Ball Moss

Ball moss, a grayish mossy growth, usually around the size of a tennis ball, often is seen clinging to the branches of live oaks. Although it might appear to be a parasite of the tree, it actually is an epiphyte, which means that it may attach itself to a tree or other perches but it feeds itself by capturing moisture and nutrients from the air, rather than taking nutrients from the tree.

Ball moss likes shade and humid air, conditions that are naturally found under the canopy of live oaks. The branches on which it grows are not dead or dying because of the ball moss. They are dying because they are shaded by the branches above that form the canopy. Tree branches need a certain amount of light for photosynthesis in the leaves. Without light, leaves cannot produce sugars through photosynthesis and the branches ultimately die. However, those same branches provide food and shelter for birds, and the ball moss hosts a small spider that is food for wrens, warblers and other insectivorous birds.

While ball moss may be harmless to its landlord, many people object to it on aesthetic grounds. It can be physically removed from the tree as part of a pruning regimen or by careful periodic spraying.

More information about how to manage ball moss without harming your trees is available at this link -http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=1264&terms=ball+moss