3 Year-old live oak..What's wrong w/ my tree?
 

Hello,

I've got a 3 year-old Live Oak....in the North Dallas area.....and in
the last month..a sort of bulbous, black, growth has begun to appear.
Can anyone identify what this might be? My neighbor (whom may be a bit
paranoid) was thinking "Sudden Oak Death"..but I'm under impression
that that has not really hit my area....

I've posted some photos...

http://jimwalter.zapto.org/tree/tree.html

Any help would be appreciated...

Thanks,

sV

3 Year-old live oak..What's wrong w/ my tree?
 

Bill Freedman said:

Hello,

I've got a 3 year-old Live Oak....in the North Dallas area.....and in
the last month..a sort of bulbous, black, growth has begun to appear.
Can anyone identify what this might be? My neighbor (whom may be a bit
paranoid) was thinking "Sudden Oak Death"..but I'm under impression
that that has not really hit my area....

I've posted some photos...

http://jimwalter.zapto.org/tree/tree.html

Any help would be appreciated...

I think your oak is infested with some sort of scale insect.

Scale is usually treated with a dormant oil spray (too late for that), but
there may be some sort of systemic insecticide that could control them.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/e...update/jan04/H
orticulturoils.html

(to avoid line-wrap, use http://tinyurl.com/gcwuz)

If your tree is small enough and you are determined to protect it, you
could actually go through and pull off all the visible adult scales, then
wash the tree down with insecticidal soap and rinse. Then next
winter be sure to give it a dormant oil treatment.

I know one person who gave up the fight and removed a scale infested
magnolia tree.

I managed to eliminate a scale infestation from a small plum tree, but
it's never been a particularly healthy tree even after that.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

3 Year-old live oak..What's wrong w/ my tree?
 

Try to scratch it off. IF it comes off easily, inspect the thing and
on the underside you may see parts of the insect called scale. You
can treat that with insecticidal soap. Just go over to Rohde's and
bring some of what's on your tree in a tightly closed jar or bag and
make sure scale is what you have.


On Thu, 06 Apr 2006 19:02:00 -0500, Bill Freedman
wrote:

Hello,

I've got a 3 year-old Live Oak....in the North Dallas area.....and in
the last month..a sort of bulbous, black, growth has begun to appear.
Can anyone identify what this might be? My neighbor (whom may be a bit
paranoid) was thinking "Sudden Oak Death"..but I'm under impression
that that has not really hit my area....

I've posted some photos...

http://jimwalter.zapto.org/tree/tree.html

Any help would be appreciated...

Thanks,

sV

3 Year-old live oak..What's wrong w/ my tree?
 

On Thu, 06 Apr 2006 19:02:00 -0500, Bill Freedman
wrote:

Hello,

I've got a 3 year-old Live Oak....in the North Dallas area.....and in
the last month..a sort of bulbous, black, growth has begun to appear.
Can anyone identify what this might be? My neighbor (whom may be a bit
paranoid) was thinking "Sudden Oak Death"..but I'm under impression
that that has not really hit my area....

I've posted some photos...

http://jimwalter.zapto.org/tree/tree.html

Any help would be appreciated...

Thanks,

sV
My first instinct was wasp galls, but looking at the photos, I think
not. Perhaps some kind of scale insect?
http://www.digitalarborist.com/idoti...cts/scales.pdf

Pry a couple off and see if there are legs and such underneath.

If so, treat with dormant oil/horticultural oil/Volck oil.

Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist #TX-236AT

3 Year-old live oak..What's wrong w/ my tree?
 

That looks pretty big for a three year old oak!



"Bill Freedman" wrote in message
m...
Hello,

I've got a 3 year-old Live Oak....in the North Dallas area.....and in
the last month..a sort of bulbous, black, growth has begun to appear.
Can anyone identify what this might be? My neighbor (whom may be a bit
paranoid) was thinking "Sudden Oak Death"..but I'm under impression
that that has not really hit my area....

I've posted some photos...

http://jimwalter.zapto.org/tree/tree.html

Any help would be appreciated...

Thanks,

sV

3 Year-old live oak..What's wrong w/ my tree?
 

Without specimen in hand, it's impossible to be sure.

But I would guess it _could_ be Daldinia concentrica or some similar
species of fungus. If so, you're have some significant damage to the
tree recently, either by colder than normal weather conditions, or by
something striking the tree.

Daldinia concentrica is just one of several related species, many of
which are little known at this time. It is also sometimes called "King
Alfred's Cakes", or "Cramp Balls".

Assuming that you have detached one of the things from your tree and
sliced it open, D. concentrica looks like a layered ball growing
outward from the wood. I have seen it growing on wood used to grow
shiitake (Lentinula edodes) as well as wood inoculated with Pleurotus
ostreatus (Oyster mushroom).

Let's hope it is not Phytopthora (Sudden Oak Death).

Daniel B. Wheeler
www.oregonwhitetruffles.com

3 Year-old live oak..What's wrong w/ my tree?
 

Hey Dallas,
looks like scale. No Sudden Oak Death in our area for some time. Scale
is pretty awful stuff though. Take a piece to Nicholson Hardie on
Lovers at Inwood and let them give you something to get rid of that
awful stuff.
-Arlington