I have a tree as seen in the above pics, an approximately 65-year-old Rainier Sweet Cherry tree. When I bought this house it was overgrown and full of lichen and moss.
I was told by an arborist that the best thing to do was to remove excess branches to open up airspace in the tree. I did this, removing almost 1/3 of the bulk of the tree, about 2 years ago. Since then I believe the lichen and moss have gotten worse.
Other suggestions to restore the tree have included spraying it with poisonous Cupric Sulfate or Iron Phosphate... But I don't want to spray poison all over the rest of my garden!
Is there any organic thing I can do to get the lichen and moss to die so that the old tree can thrive again? It still produces fruit but I know the tree can be healthier.
Or, has the tree simply reached the end of its lifespan? This tree is, historically, one of the first of the Rainier Sweet variety and I don't want to lose it.
Thank you,
Dave