Green Growth on Old Pecan Trees: Resurrection Fern or Lichens

Restoring old pecan orchards; trees have green mossy/ferny growth with leaves on it, covering limbs.

Identification

Resurrection fern (air fern)—epiphytic, harmless.
Lichens—algae+fungus symbiosis; three forms (crustose, foliose, fruticose). Indicate thin canopy, not cause of decline.

Best: fertilize (10-10-10 at 2 lbs/inch trunk diameter) to thicken canopy, shade limbs, reduce lichen photosynthesis.
Copper fungicides (e.g., Kocide) temporarily suppress lichens but not labeled for it.
If fern removal desired: spot-spray Roundup (not necessary for tree health).

Plant Diseases: Black Walnut Fern-Like Growth: Harmless Lichens, Not a Disease; Pecan Tree Limb Drop: Drought, Weevils, and Borers; Lichens on Trees: Harmless Indicators of Stress, Not Disease; Large Bumpy Growths on Hickory: Phomopsis Galls or Crown Gall; Pecan Nuts Moldy or Shriveled: Water Stress, Not Disease; Green Growth on Maple Trunk: Lichens Again; Sugar Maple Lightning Strike and Lichens: Damage Assessment; Pecan Tree No Nuts: Water, Zinc, Fertilizer, Pruning Guide; Twig Girdlers in Pecan: Identification and Control; Green Growth on Tree Trunks: Lichens Are Harmless

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