Will fungicide kill desirable Lichen?

[Mike123]

Was going to spray Barberry with fungicide but really didn't want to loose the Lichen.

 

[davetree]

Spray it anyway. What good are lichen on a dead tree ?

 

[davetree]

Your first job with any bonsai, is to get the tree healthy and strong. If you don't have that nothing else matters.

 

[Paulpash]

I'm with Dave ... you won't be lichen a dead tree

 

[Mike123]

Once again great info! I guess some times I gotta be pushed. Thanks.

 

[JudyB]

Good question...
GREAT ANSWERS

 

[Lazylightningny]

Can you cover the lichen before you spray?

 

[Mike123]

No, it's all over. Judging by the trunks it's pretty old. Must have been on there a long time.
Sprayed and I hope it works. Hope that's what it is!

 

[Mike123]

 

[jkd2572]

I would like the answer without the joke. I have a very old Korean hornbeam with nice lichen. I was thinking about adding a fungicide to my once a month insecticide spray. Anybody know the answer?

 

[wireme]

Lichen is fungi and algae living together symbiotically, so most likely a fungicide will kill it.
Mp

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I've sprayed copper and other fungicides on a few pines with lichen, and it hasn't hurt it any. The lower-right branch has a few nice spots of lichen developing on it, and it's had quite a few rounds with copper and funginex over the years.

Good point made above...healthy tree comes first!

 

[Lutonian]

If the fungicide does kill the lichen you could try removing some lichen before spraying powdering it and mixing with a watered down natural yogurt and paint the mix back on to "reseed" the lichen.

I have not tried this with lichen but it may work.

 

[BrianBay9]

If the fungicide does kill the lichen you could try removing some lichen before spraying powdering it and mixing with a watered down natural yogurt and paint the mix back on to "reseed" the lichen.

I have not tried this with lichen but it may work.

Might work but lichen are notoriously slow growing. You probably won't see results similar to moss treated the same way.