Knowledgebase
White mold like growth on base of oak trees #860583
Asked March 05, 2024, 12:36 PM EST
I have a white growth on the base of my oak trees on one side of my creek. It comes in two forms. It turns the bark into a white powder that you can brush off with your hand in one form and in the other form turns into a white sponge like looking growth in place of the oak bark.
Any form of treatment to kill this mold or at least stop it spreading to my other oak trees?
Greenville County South Carolina
Expert Response
KC,
it sounds like you have a disease called Hypoxylon canker. An odd disease that colonizes the bark of healthy trees that may be present for years. When the trees become stressed, the fungus grows a mat under the bark which dislodges the bark. There is no control for it once it has infected a tree.
more information can be found on this fact sheet:
https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/oak-diseases-insect-pests/
