Moss on tree trunk

[Fridge]

Hi Nuts

I want to clean up the moss on the trunks of a couple of my trees pictured in the photos (not from the soil I quite like the look of it there…)

I have a couple of questions…

1) is it ok/ a good idea to remove moss from the trunk
2) what is the best/ safest way to remove it without damaging the bark?

Thanks
Fred

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Spray it with vinegar diluted in water

 

[sorce]

Some mosses will remain strong enough to remove bark even after it's dead, so be careful. These tweezers with a thin angled nose are nice.

Prevent prevent prevent.

Sorce

 

[BonsaiMatt]

Smooth barked trees like your maple can be cleaned up with a plastic brush and water. With a rough barked tree, your will want to be a bit more careful and use tweezers etc so you remove minimal bark.

 

[Bnana]

For the maple,a toothbrush.
For the other tree, leave it on and let it cover the wire scars.

 

[Fridge]

Thanks all, yes I agree maybe leaving it on the pine makes sense

For the maple, just brush carefully with cold water then?

 

[Shibui]

Many growers are convinced that moss growing on trunks can damage the bark by keeping it too wet. I have not experienced that but have never left moss growing too long so cannot confirm or deny the possibility. Just be aware of the possibility.

I've always needed to do more than scrub gently. The moss usually has a good hold and I need to scrub quite hard to remove it. Cold water and toothbrush is good but occasionally I've had to resort to a stiffer bristle brush to get some off. Tweezers is a slow way but works.
Some mosses grow better on trunks than on the soil. I suspect this is one of those mosses so it is likely the moss will continue to grow back up the trunk so resign yourself to doing this every few months in the growing season.
When you get sick of manually removing it the vinegar solution is safe and reliable. I now spray the trunks several times each year to control moss growth. Use 50/50 vinegar/water. It only affects the moss that gets direct contact with the solution so won't harm the surrounding moss on the soil.

 

[Fridge]

Thanks for the help, I ended up going for the toothbrush and manually removing it combo but looking better now …