The Blog

If you drive around town today – before the spring color blooms – and look at the oaks and crape myrtles, you may notice that the trees from last summer are covered in some sort of fuzz. The formerly winter bare and gracious limbs are possessed by a hairy coat.

If you haven’t notice, just take a drive down Independence Boulevard or around our State Capitol complex.

Photos around Governor’s Mansion in downtown Baton Rouge 

Photos by Marie Constantin 

What is that stuff anyway? Ball moss. And it’s not the kind of ball to get excited about this Mardi Gras season.

Ball moss is a small flowering plant that is related to the Spanish moss.  It grows best in low light and high humidity (sounds about right for it to grow in Louisiana). It often grows on the southern live oak.  You may also see the ball moss on pines, magnolias, and crape myrtles. On the bright side, the moss does not take any nutrients or water from these plants. It can even grow on fences and electric poles. It survives by absorbing water vapors and nutrients from the air (hence, the name air plant).

You may be wondering, what is so bad about ball moss? Well for starters, the ball moss will lay on branches of beautiful oak trees and crape myrtles in Louisiana eventually covering the tree if it is not removed. The ball moss obtains large amounts of rainwater and covers the branches from growing new sprouts and leaves. By removing the ball moss, it will allow the trees to not become stressed and grow freely.

And, ball moss spreads.

The battle of the ball moss is now at the front door of Kevin Harris Architect. At first we didn’t even notice. Then we saw a small clump. Later, when we went to remove it, we saw that it wasn’t just a small clump but that it was dozens. Saul Belloso, a graduating senior in architecture at LSU, volunteered to help our trees today by removing the ball moss from our crape myrtles.

So, what’s a tree lover to do?

The Advocate wrote an article addressing the issue in Baton Rouge.  LSU professor and well-respected landscape architect  doSuzanne Turner encourages the community to be watchful of this plant. A little bit of the moss can cause a lot in just a few months which can lead to a heavy infestation and possibly killing the plant. She comments, “There’s no easy fix… Pulling this moss off the trees is a hell of a job,”

Baton Rouge Green’s Program Director and Certified Arborist Robert Seemann suggest three ways to remove the ball moss.

1. For small infestations at your homes, it is recommended to manual remove them. If you are unable to reach some moss in higher places, a high-pressure hose may work. After removing as much moss as you can, bag the moss up and throw it away.
2. You can hire a certified arborist in Baton Rouge. This option can be costly and take around five to six hours per 25-foot crape myrtle. The certified arborist will have the proper equipment and methods for larger trees and infestations.
3. Baking soda and water mixture can also be used to kill the ball moss. You will need a small spray bottle or equipment recommended by your arborist. The trick with this method is that the mixture needs to be dissolved regularly by shaking and mixing the solutions. The mix may leave a white residue on nearby surfaces so be sure to use caution. The ingredients used are “one half pound of baking soda per one gallon of water, or for larger treatments, five pounds of baking soda to 10 gallons of water. “ The best time to apply this mix is late winter and early spring (yes, that would mean right now), when the trees are still bare. This mix does not typically harm plants, animals and the environment. The last method may take time, manual removal and more caution.

However, one group supports the right of ball moss to spread. The Native Plant Society of Texas believes that the ball moss provides nitrogen for the soil and insects for the birds to feed on. But, for us, there’s a place and time for everything, and we like our to be free from the stress and unsightliness of ball moss.

After all this work, your trees may still become infected due to neighboring trees containing ball moss. However, if one of these methods do work, you ensure some summer shade and extend the life of your tree. And that’s worth it.  

So, do your trees a solid this Mardi Gras. RSVP “NO” to ball moss.

© 2019 Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC

Kevin Harris, Architect, LLC designs custom homes to satisfy, support and sustain our client’s best life, to be an authentic expression of their site, lifestyle and culture, while remaining rooted in history and expressive of the times. For more information on Kevin or the firm go to www.kevinharrisarchitect.com.