Health & Fitness
What's Attacking My Oak Trees?
Oaks are notorious for suffering with knobby growths, especially seen in the fall. Read on for what the problem may be and what should be done about it.
Every fall, Pasco Extension Service staff receives calls from concerned residents that Oak trees have developed warty growths. These growths are called galls that develop from two different reasons. They may be a reaction to a minute wasp developing under the stem surface or could be caused from a fungus.
In general, neither one is especially harmful to trees unless there is a very large number of them or the tree is very young. To determine which is the culprit, look to see if there is a small hole in the growth. That is evidence that a wasp lived there and the adult wasp has exited leaving its knobby juvenile home.
In the fall, if there is no exit wound, then likely the growth is caused by a fungus. Normally, healthy saplings can outgrow galls that form from fungus, encouraged by Pasco’s humid, warm summers. Some residents find galls unsightly, and if there are lots of them, cut the stem off just below the gall to help prevent future inoculation. Don’t compost galls; instead put them right into the garbage.
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If you have problems with your trees, contact the Pasco Extension Service at 352-518-0474 to speak with BJ or a trained Master Gardener.
Editor's note: BJ Jarvis is a horticulture agent and the director of the Pasco County Cooperative Extension Office. For more information about extension programs, visit pasco.ifas.ufl.edu.
