Cooper's Tree Service

An epiphyte is a type of plant that grows on the surface of another plant, such as trees. They get their moisture and nutrients from the environment around them and not from the plant or tree they have latched on to. They are harmless and not parasitic.

Spanish moss is a plant that grows in long, gray-green strands, often seen hanging from trees in the southeastern U.S. Although it's called "moss," it's actually part of the bromeliad family and gets its nutrients from the air.

Despite having ‘moss’ in their name, neither the Spanish nor ball moss are considered as actual moss, but as true plants. Because like a plant, they can grow flowers and have seeds that allow them to spread and grow on other plants and trees.

Spanish moss starts growing on trees once their seeds find their way onto the tree’s bark, either blown by wind or carried by birds. They thrive in humid areas and draw most of their nutrients from dead or dying bark. They are known to grow on trees with bark that have deep gaps and thick ridges.

For ball moss, once their seed lands on a tree by way of wind, they attach themselves firmly to the tree’s outer bark. They can grow into large or thick clusters, most especially on dead or dying branches, adding weight to the branches and causing them to snap later on. They grow well on trees with thick and rough bark.

As an epiphytic plant, they are known to grow on many types of plants, and so they can grow on all types of trees. But they do prefer to grow on trees with thick and rough bark, such as live oak, cypress trees, pines, and cedar elm.

Both can be removed by either pulling them off and cutting away dead, infested branches or by using a chemical moss remover. These may work well as single methods, but moss removal would be more effective if used together.