Young ball moss plant. (Photo by Raj Singh)

Mature ball moss plant with seed head. (Photo by Raj Singh)

Crape myrtle branches heavily infested with ball moss on LSU Campus. (Photo by Raj Singh)

News Release Distributed 02/23/15

BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisianians are probably familiar with Spanish moss, but they may not be aware of ball moss.

Like Spanish moss, ball moss is an epiphyte and belongs to the family Bromeliaceae, said LSU AgCenter plant pathologist Raj Singh.

Ball moss is an air plant that is not a true moss but rather a small flowering plant, Singh said. It is neither a pathogen nor a parasite.

“During the past couple of years, ball moss has increasingly been colonizing trees and shrubs including oaks, pines, magnolias, crape myrtles, Bradford pears and other trees on the LSU campus and surrounding areas in Baton Rouge,” he said.

In addition to trees and shrubs, ball moss can attach itself to fences, electric poles and other physical structures with the help of pseudo-roots. It uses a tree as a surface to grow on but does not derive any nutrients or water from them.

Ball moss is a true plant and derives its food through water and nutrients from the environment.

Extending from Georgia to Arizona and Mexico, ball moss thrives in high humidity and low-intensity sunlight. Unlike loose, fibrous Spanish moss, ball moss grows in a compact ball shape ranging in size from a golf ball to a soccer ball. Leaves are narrow, grey-green with pointed tips that curve outward from the center of the ball.

It gets its moss-like appearance from the hair-like growth on the leaves. Blue-to-violet flowers emerge on a long central stem during spring.

Ball moss spreads to new locations both by wind-dispersed seeds and movement of small vegetative parts of the plant.

Ball moss may colonize both healthy and stressed trees, but it is more visible on stressed trees, Singh said. Heavy infestation of ball moss may break small twigs or limbs. It also may stress the host indirectly by restricting the surface area for new sprouts or growth.

Management of ball moss is generally not required if trees or shrubs are lightly infested. Trees that are completely covered with ball moss, however, will need proper care, Singh said.

“Although labor-intensive, hand picking is the most effective method to remove ball moss from small trees or shrubs,” he said. “Pruning twigs and branches covered with ball moss may restore the affected trees.”

Chemical control of ball moss is possible, and copper-containing fungicides may provide adequate control. If chemical control is warranted, choose a product that is labeled for ball moss control, Singh said.

“Read the label carefully to apply the recommended dose and follow other directions to use the product,” he said. “Excessive use of copper-containing products may cause injury to the host plant.”

Good practices that promote vigorously growing, healthy trees with dense canopies are also recommended, he said.