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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.
Colorado Master Gardener, Denver County Replied September 30, 2023, 2:57 PM EDT

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