Hi my wife and I have been living in the same house for 21yrs. and last year I started to notice that there's a green moss growing up and out from the branches. The Moss is also growing on another tree that is in the yard. We live in Massachusetts along the coast. Never have I seen this in my area ! I don't know what to do. This happened a few years ago with another Japanese Maple and it finally died. I hope this tree does not die on me it's quite old. Any help you can give me would help me. Thank you... jmello321@comcast.net
Hi there-- Is there a chance that it's a lichen? I've seen mossy-looking lichens growing on pines on Cape Cod, and I think it isn't too unusual in some locations. The color is a sort of gray green, and I think it takes a while to establish, so you see it mainly on older trees. Most true mosses are a dark or bright green. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about either way. Could you show us a photo? Dan
Thanks for such a quick response. It is a grayish green type of what I call moss. I'm no expert on these things . Hope you're right and the tree lives.
This sounds like probably a lichen. As long as the tree is healthy, the lichen should not cause any trouble at all. It is not "eating" or drawing nutrients from the tree -- lichens are self-sustaining symbiotes that make their own food by photosynthesis. Most of the mature deciduous trees around my house, near the ocean, have some of this growing on them, often to quite decorative effect. If you post a photo, somebody can tell you for sure what you've got.
