Purple autumn ash "growth clump" - Ask Extension
We have a mature purple autumn ash that has these clumps growing from branches. I don’t recall ever seeing these. Do you know what they are?
Knowledgebase
Purple autumn ash "growth clump" #851357
Asked September 26, 2023, 10:41 PM EDT
We have a mature purple autumn ash that has these clumps growing from branches. I don’t recall ever seeing these. Do you know what they are?
Denver County Colorado
Expert Response
Your purple ash has Ash Flower Gall Mite, more of a cosmetic problem than a pest that you would need to treat. The mites distort the male flower on ash trees, producing a highly disfigured gall. In the fall they will dry and turn brown. There is no evidence that the injury significantly damages the health of the tree.
It's hard to treat a large tree, but in the spring you could apply Sevin, as indicated in this fact sheet:
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/ash-flower-gall/#:~:text=An%20application%20of%20carbaryl%20(Sevin,reduce%20the%20number%20of%20galls.
It's hard to treat a large tree, but in the spring you could apply Sevin, as indicated in this fact sheet:
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/ash-flower-gall/#:~:text=An%20application%20of%20carbaryl%20(Sevin,reduce%20the%20number%20of%20galls.