Content
Mosses and lichens are an indispensable attribute of an old garden, especially if it is not cared for. What are they? Do they harm trees? Do I need to get rid of them and how? We will try to answer all these questions in our article.
What are lichens
This is an amazing creation of nature, representing a symbiosis of a fungus and algae or cyanobacteria. Lichens do not have roots, therefore, when they settle on another plant, they do not feed on its juices. This unusual natural species is capable of falling into suspended animation in the absence of moisture and spending many years in this state. Rain or dew revives the lichen and returns it to its original state.
Experienced gardeners have long noticed a connection between the health of wood and the amount of lichen on it. Young trees, as a rule, are not affected by it. And this is understandable: their vegetative organs grow very quickly, the bark stretches and is a very inconvenient place for a lichen to exist. In adulthood, especially if the tree is sick, bark growth slows down greatly. Such conditions are quite suitable for the lichen, and it settles on the trunk.Is it harming him? We have already made sure that the lichen will not suck the juices out of it; it is not structured that way. But it is quite capable of giving shelter to various pests and fungi under its cover: moisture after rain lingers there for a long time.
Therefore, it is better not to leave it on the trunk and branches.
This fact should serve as a reason for the gardener to inspect the plantings and treat diseased plants, and if this is not possible, remove them so that the infection does not affect neighboring ones.
The colonization of trees by lichens begins with the appearance of a greenish coating on the branches, usually on the shaded side - single-celled algae have settled on the bark. Fungal spores are always present in the air. Entering into symbiosis with algae, they form lichens. Their shape and color are varied.
There are up to 25,000 species of lichens in nature. According to their structure and method of growth, three groups are distinguished:
- scale, otherwise crusty, outwardly they look like a thin crust (no thicker than 5 mm) or like scattered powder;
- bushy, they also live on trees and can reach a height of 7 m - such specimens grow for a long time, hanging from the trunk, they resemble a real wall. In the photo - falling asleep;
- foliose lichens; Among them, the wall xanthoria is the most known to gardeners; for its bright color it is also sometimes called wall goldenrod.
Another representative of foliose lichens is Lobaria xanthorium.
Lichens are considered indicators of air pollution; with a low amount of oxygen, they are not able to develop. The bushy species are the most sensitive, followed by the foliose species, then the scale species.
What is moss
Unlike lichen, moss is a plant. But it has no real roots. Moss feeds in the same way as all plants, but it does not suck the juices from those on which it settles. Moss needs very little soil to feed; it can even live on rocks. Moss itself is not harmful to trees. It settles on them for the same reason as lichen.
And in the same way it provides shelter for various pests and pathogens. Unlike lichens, mosses grow very quickly and thrive even on young wood. The main condition for their existence is high humidity. It happens where there is poor air circulation. Therefore, pruning even young trees is a must.
This photo shows that the moss growing on the trunk is distinguished by a variety of species.
Unlike lichens, moss is used in garden design. Now it is at the peak of fashion, and many are happy to decorate shady areas with it. But we must not forget that moss reproduces by spores.
Reasons for appearance
The following reasons contribute to the appearance of lichen and moss on fruit trees:
- untimely and incorrect pruning, which causes thickening of the crown;
- poor condition of the roots, especially wetting due to high groundwater levels;
- abundant watering of the garden;
- damage to the bark and wood of fruit trees from the sun or frost;
- disease or old age of the tree.
Lichens grow slowly and take a long time to cover the entire trunk. If the garden is inspected regularly, the gardener will immediately notice their appearance. That's when you need to start fighting them. Why can't you pull?
The larger the area of the trunk is covered with lichen or moss, the more the bark is damaged when it is removed and the more metabolic processes in the wood are disrupted. Not only will it take a lot of time to cover up the wounds and disinfect them, but there is always a risk that pathogens will get into the damaged bark, and this is dangerous for the tree. If mosses and lichens on fruit trees do not take nutrients from an apple or pear tree, maybe there is no point in fighting them?
Why do you need to remove them?
There are several reasons for this operation:
- under mosses and lichens on fruit trees, tissue respiration in the bark and wood becomes difficult;
- lichens secrete lichen acid, which inhibits the growth and development of the tree on which they settled, although it destroys pathogens of fungal diseases;
- pests find shelter under them;
- the appearance of lichens means that parasitic fungi will soon settle on the trunk - and this is already a disaster.
How and when to clean trunks and branches
If such a problem appears in the garden, it must be solved as soon as possible. When is the best time to clean trunks?
If mosses and lichens appear on trees, treatment should be carried out outside the growing season:
- in the spring this is done before the buds swell;
- In the fall, the best time to clean trees is after the leaves have fallen.
It is not enough to clear trees of moss and lichens; you need to do everything to prevent them from appearing again. Therefore, we will have to act comprehensively.
Oddly enough, the problem with lichens and mosses on trees needs to be solved by pruning the crown. If this is not done, unwanted inhabitants will reappear on the trunks. For proper growth and formation of fruit trees, for an abundant and healthy fruit harvest, pruning should be carried out regularly both in early spring and late autumn. With a sparse crown, the trees are well ventilated, damp air does not stagnate between their branches, which means that favorable conditions are not created for the appearance and growth of mosses and lichens.
What control methods should be used to get rid of mosses and lichens on trees?
Barrel cleaning algorithm
Will help cope with the growth of mosses and lichens on trees iron sulfate solution - iron sulfate. For fruit trees it is diluted at the rate of 300 g per 10 liters of water; for pome crops the drug is needed more: 500 g per 10 liters.
When treating young trees, you must not forget that the product is acidic and quite aggressive.It is enough to process the thin sensitive bark of young fruit trees only once, preparing them for winter. Old trees are treated 2 times during the season.
Treatment can be done by spraying. Sometimes it is more convenient to apply the solution with a flat brush, intended for whitewashing plants. Just a few days are enough to see fallen moss and lichens.
There is another chemical way to combat mosses and lichens that have occupied trees. To do this, pour 0.6 kg of slaked lime into 0.5 liters of boiling water. To ensure that it completely dissolves, the mixture is placed on low heat and mixed well. Add 0.4 kg of sulfur and 1.5 liters of water, boil under the lid for 15 minutes. The cooled broth can be stored in plastic or glass containers, but not for long. To prevent it from oxidizing, carefully pour a little machine oil along the wall. For spraying, it will have to be diluted in a proportion of 0.1 liters of decoction per 5 liters of water.
Another chemical remedy for lichen on fruit trees. Dilute two large pieces of laundry soap, a kilogram of salt and add 2 kg of ash in 10 liters of hot water. Mix everything well and coat the trunks of trees damaged by lichens and mosses.
There are types of lichens that are very difficult to control with all of the above means. To combat them they use antifungal drug Skor according to instructions. This treatment can be carried out before the buds open.
Now let's get started to the mechanical removal procedure fruit trees overgrown with mosses and lichens. First of all, spread plastic film under the tree so that all particles that fall from the trees can be taken out of the area and burned.
For mechanical processing, a hard mitten, a wooden spatula or a plastic brush are suitable. We clean the tree with them, choosing a day with high air humidity.
Video about cleaning trees from moss and lichen:
What to do if damage does appear on the bark? They are being processed Bordeaux mixture at a concentration of 1%. Then all wounds are covered with garden pitch with a layer no thicker than 1 mm. Choose a day with positive air temperature for treatment. If it is below 0 degrees, the var will harden and it will be impossible to use it. In the absence of this product, the wounds are covered with pure clay or its mixture with cow manure: for 200 g of clay, 100 g of manure with the addition of chopped straw. After diluting with water, the mixture should have the consistency of thick sour cream.
The fight against lichen on fruit trees gives good results if you use soda ash solution. It is prepared from half a glass of soda and a bucket of water, and applied to the lichens with a brush.
Some gardeners tie to lichens crushed sorrel leaves. You can do it even simpler: dilute oxalic acid with water in a ratio of 1:8 and coat problem areas.
It would also be useful treatment of tree trunks with urea solution. Take a matchbox of the product and dilute it in a 10-liter bucket of water. This solution is used to water the ground around the trees.
If the branches of a tree or shrub are completely covered with lichen, they should be cut out; they are already old.
Prevention of the appearance of mosses and lichens
In order to prevent moss and lichen from entering the garden, preventive measures must be taken.
- Timely pruning and thinning of the crown.
- Combating high groundwater levels with drainage ditches.
- Spring treatment of the garden with a 1% solution of copper sulfate. It can be carried out at air temperatures not lower than plus 5 degrees. When processing, pay special attention to the forks of the branches.
- Will need to be whitewashed in the fall trees. This also has its own subtleties: whitewash has a different composition for young and old trees. To whiten old trees, add 1 kg of fatty clay, 400 g of copper sulfate and 2 kg of slaked lime to 10 liters of water. After thorough stirring, the trees are whitened so that the whitewash layer is about 2 mm. You can also use another composition: for 2 kg of ready-made water-emulsion paint you need to add 30 g of karbofos. To whiten young trees, this mixture must be diluted with water in half.
- This whitewashing will protect young trees from damage by hares during winter.
- You can use Bordeaux mixture for whitewashing. To prepare it, in 2 buckets made of plastic or enameled, but not galvanized, separately dilute a kilogram of slaked lime, adding 5 liters of hot water and a quarter kilogram of copper sulfate, you also need to add 5 liters of hot water. The solutions are mixed by adding a little clay or cow dung.
You can watch the video about why and how to whiten fruit trees:
Removing mosses and lichens is a necessary procedure. Clean trees are the key to health, without which you cannot get a rich harvest.
