Gardening Myth #3 – Is Lichen Harmful to Your Trees?

Another thing we wanted to bring up was lichen. Is it harmful to your trees?

A lot of times people bring in branches and stuff and they see it looks like a moss or kind of like a little fungus. There’s a lot of different species of lichen out there. They are not bad. They are not a bad thing.

They’re actually like an example of symbiosis, a mixture of fungi and algae. So, really, when you see them present, it pretty much means you have good airflow and a good environment. They don’t really do well in polluted areas.

You see it a lot on dead branches and material. They do break down material, so when you do have a dead branch or something, it’s going to be on there because it’s helping it break down. So a lot of people think, oh my gosh, is this killing my tree? It’s not. It’s just hanging out there and kind of like a little air filter.

As of right now, I haven’t heard of any liquid chemicals or anything you can put on it because it’s not technically detrimental to the plant. The chemical companies haven’t spent the millions of dollars and research it takes to create a chemical to get rid of something when it’s not technically hurting the plant. It’s just more of an environmental thing. It’s an aesthetic issue more than a plant growing issue.

Some people find it unsightly. I like it. There are also a couple species of birds that use it for nests, like gnat catchers and hummingbirds.

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