I have 344 Blue Rug Junipers planted on the hillside in front of my
house. They were planted 13 years ago. They are quite large and
healthy. The drainage is good and they get enough sun. The problem is
that moss is growing on the lower branches and killing them. This
season, for the first time, some moss is also growing on the exposed
upper branches. I do not know how to attack the moss which is hidden
underneath the branches. Is their a spray which would penetrate the
juniper branches without hurting them and also kill the moss?

I would really appreciate any help that I can get.

In article
,
Bill wrote:

I have 344 Blue Rug Junipers planted on the hillside in front of my
house. They were planted 13 years ago. They are quite large and
healthy. The drainage is good and they get enough sun. The problem is
that moss is growing on the lower branches and killing them. This
season, for the first time, some moss is also growing on the exposed
upper branches. I do not know how to attack the moss which is hidden
underneath the branches. Is their a spray which would penetrate the
juniper branches without hurting them and also kill the moss?

I would really appreciate any help that I can get.

Moss likes acid and moisture. Perhaps some lime. Go light and do a
small section first case I am wrong.

Soil test are you below 4.5 ?

http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pd_25ad.html

Bill

--

Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA

http://prototype.nytimes.com/gst/articleSkimmer/

"Bill" wrote in message
...
I have 344 Blue Rug Junipers planted on the hillside in front of my
house. They were planted 13 years ago. They are quite large and
healthy. The drainage is good and they get enough sun. The problem is
that moss is growing on the lower branches and killing them. This
season, for the first time, some moss is also growing on the exposed
upper branches. I do not know how to attack the moss which is hidden
underneath the branches. Is their a spray which would penetrate the
juniper branches without hurting them and also kill the moss?

I would really appreciate any help that I can get.

I have blue rug junipers in my shrubery beds in front of my house. When I
first planted them they looked very puny, they were in 6" pots. I planted
six on each side. After four years they completly covered the ground so
that no weeds grow through. They began to get lichens growing on the
branches so I pruned away those parts. The Junipers grew back so that it's
time to prune again before the lichens return. That's a lot of plants you
have, must be a big hillside. How far apart are they planted? Sounds like
they're over grown, not allowing the sun to penetrate and dry the ground and
the plants. After 13 years they're probably growing one over another, they
likely need a good pruning. I would cut away like half of each plant. I
assume you have no deer or they would prune them for you, right down to
nubs... that's what happened to mine the first winter so I put up a fence.
If they're healthy plants they will grow back, and fast.

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 12:40:30 -0700 (PDT), Bill
wrote:

I have 344 Blue Rug Junipers planted on the hillside in front of my
house. They were planted 13 years ago. They are quite large and
healthy. The drainage is good and they get enough sun. The problem is
that moss is growing on the lower branches and killing them. This
season, for the first time, some moss is also growing on the exposed
upper branches. I do not know how to attack the moss which is hidden
underneath the branches. Is their a spray which would penetrate the
juniper branches without hurting them and also kill the moss?

I would really appreciate any help that I can get.


I have blue rug juniper on a sunny hillside and there is moss,
lichens, and algae growing. It doesn't seem to have an impact at all.
The moss suggests acidic soil, not bad for junipers. I suggest
leaving the moss alone.

brooklyn1 wrote:

I have blue rug junipers in my shrubery beds in front of my house. When I
first planted them they looked very puny, they were in 6"
pots. I planted six on each side. After four years they completly
covered the ground so that no weeds grow through. They began to get
lichens growing on the branches so I pruned away those parts. The
Junipers grew back so that it's time to prune again before the
lichens return.

Why is lichen bad? I don't know anything about these prostrate junipers but
in these parts nobody worries about lichen on trees, it is taken as a sign
the air is not polluted and generally left alone. I haven't seen any
indication that it harms trees.

David

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
brooklyn1 wrote:

I have blue rug junipers in my shrubery beds in front of my house. When I
first planted them they looked very puny, they were in 6"
pots. I planted six on each side. After four years they completly
covered the ground so that no weeds grow through. They began to get
lichens growing on the branches so I pruned away those parts. The
Junipers grew back so that it's time to prune again before the
lichens return.

Why is lichen bad? I don't know anything about these prostrate junipers
but in these parts nobody worries about lichen on trees, it is taken as a
sign the air is not polluted and generally left alone. I haven't seen any
indication that it harms trees.


I don't really know if it's "bad". On my blue rug juniper it was a question
of aesthetics, I didn't like the look of it. I knew severe pruning
wouldn't hurt because the deer chewed them down to nubs and they grew back,
in fact during winter the deer eat whatever parts grow through the fence and
during summer it all grows back and more. But I would assume that lichens,
moss, and fungi growing on live plants makes them parasitic, they must be
taking something from the plant and I assume they give nothing back so it's
not symbiotic. There are lichens covering the trunks of both my sapling
gingko trees, I'd like to get rid of the ugly things but obviously I can't
prune away the trunks without killing the trees... and I'm not willing to
risk applying even mild household products like vinegar. Meanwhile the
trees are growing, albiet slowly, I just tell myself that gingkos grow very
slowly.

brooklyn1 wrote:
"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
brooklyn1 wrote:

I have blue rug junipers in my shrubery beds in front of my house.
When I first planted them they looked very puny, they were in 6"
pots. I planted six on each side. After four years they completly
covered the ground so that no weeds grow through. They began to get
lichens growing on the branches so I pruned away those parts. The
Junipers grew back so that it's time to prune again before the
lichens return.

Why is lichen bad? I don't know anything about these prostrate
junipers but in these parts nobody worries about lichen on trees, it
is taken as a sign the air is not polluted and generally left alone.
I haven't seen any indication that it harms trees.


I don't really know if it's "bad". On my blue rug juniper it was a
question of aesthetics, I didn't like the look of it. I knew severe
pruning wouldn't hurt because the deer chewed them down to nubs and
they grew back, in fact during winter the deer eat whatever parts
grow through the fence and during summer it all grows back and more. But I
would assume that lichens, moss, and fungi growing on live
plants makes them parasitic, they must be taking something from the
plant and I assume they give nothing back so it's not symbiotic.

A lichen is a symbiosis between an alga and a fungus, AFAIK it only uses the
tree for support (as it uses rocks) so that the alga can get up into the
light and do photosynthesis.

There are lichens covering the trunks of both my sapling gingko
trees, I'd like to get rid of the ugly things but obviously I can't
prune away the trunks without killing the trees... and I'm not
willing to risk applying even mild household products like vinegar.
Meanwhile the trees are growing, albiet slowly, I just tell myself
that gingkos grow very slowly.

Indeed they do. Mine has hardly chnaged in 5 years while other trees next
to it bound ahead.

David

Hello brooklyn1,
I have 344 Blue Rug Junipers planted on the hillside in front of my house. They were planted 13 years ago. They are quite large and healthy.