Can Spanish Moss Be Removed?

About This Episode

For the last episode of the season, a reader has a Spanish moss dilemma. Plus, Grumpy’s gripe of the week.

Question Of The Week

“I just moved from Colorado to the South Carolina Lowcountry. So, Spanish moss is foreign to me. Whenever I see it hanging from live oaks, it looks like the branches died. What would you recommend to decrease the amount of it in my trees?” – Jessie

Grumpy’s Response: A majestic live oak draped with Spanish moss is a Southern icon. You know, maybe they don’t talk about it too much in Colorado, but you’re not in Colorado anymore. Both of those plants are native. They evolve together. And Spanish moss only uses limbs for support and does not harm the tree. Now, if you think there’s too much of it, you can always hire landscapers to remove it, but it’s just gonna grow back. I think you should learn to love it like we, Southerners, do.

So, leave that stuff hanging on the trees. And it’s beautiful and it provides such shade, and it’s just beautiful to look at.

Gripe Of The Week

This marks are final Grumpy Gardener podcast for 2024. So, first, I, along with my sassy sidekick, Nellah, would like to say, how much fun it’s been this year. Reading your gardening questions, sent in from listeners all over the country and beyond who value our advice, especially because it’s free.

But the upcoming break does have me worried. What if retirees stop mailing me their social security checks like they have been?

Do you know how much a pilot, flight attendant fuel in a chilled keg cost on my private jet? It’s a bundle. Let me tell you. And what happens if your flowering cabbage flops or your kudzu houseplants get spidermites or leaves start falling from your oaks and maples this fall, and you’re sure they’re sick with plague, who will you turn to for knowledge and comfort? Well, you still have my monthly Grumpy Gardener column in Southern Living. And if you have a question, just post it on my Grumpy Gardener Facebook page.

About Ask Grumpy

Ask Grumpy is a podcast featuring Steve Bender, also known as Southern Living’s Grumpy Gardener. For more than 30 years, Grumpy has been sharing advice on what to grow, when to plant, and how to manage just about anything in your garden. Tune in for short episodes every Wednesday and Saturday as Grumpy answers reader questions, solves seasonal conundrums, and provides need-to-know advice for gardeners with his very Grumpy sense of humor. Be sure to follow Ask Grumpy on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen so you don’t miss an episode.

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors.

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