Lumps & Growth On Trees: What Do They Mean?

Does your tree have some concerning lumps and bumps? In most cases, growth on trees occurs naturally and causes no harm to the tree. Still, in some cases, it can indicate an underlying issue with tree health. As a result, abnormal tissue development that forms galls or cankers weakens the tree. From pest issues to fungal disease, there are several reasons why your trees might develop lumps and strange growth. Let’s discuss everything you need to know about the problem.

Lumps and Growths on Trees: What Do They Mean?

Is It a Disease? Recognizing Infection

Bacterial or fungal infections can cause a tree to develop lumps and bumps. These require immediate treatment, or the tree may die and spread to other trees in the yard.

• You might notice that the lumps spread rapidly over a small area on the tree trunk or twigs and branches.
• Look for sap oozing from the lumps and the presence of a foul smell.
• Fungal infections appear as spongy shelf-like masses on the tree, usually on the trunk.

Pest Problems: Insects and Unusual Growth on Trees

Aphids, mites, and gall wasps feed on trees, and these insects’ secretions cause galls and bumps. They use the damaged area of the tree to shelter and spread, giving rise to an insect infestation that threatens the tree’s survival.

Galls can be in a wide variety of colors and shapes and appear on parts of the tree, including:

• Leaves
• Roots
• Flowers
• Twigs

Take action and spray the problem area with organic pesticides. Don’t use chemical pesticides unless recommended by a professional arborist.

Identifying Harmful Growths That Damage Trees

We’ve touched on how cankers, galls, and fruiting fungal infestations threaten tree health, but let’s take a deeper look at what these growths are.

• Gall is an abnormal swelling on plants and trees’ stems, leaves, or roots. Common galls are abnormal growths caused by mites, fungi, bacteria, or insects. Crown gall causes rough-woody tumors on the roots, trunk, and branches.
• Cankers are sunken areas of dead bark usually caused by bacterial or fungal infections.

Prune affected areas where you can. If the tree has signs of decay near the roots that you can’t remove, consult an arborist.

Is It Natural or Problematic Growth? Decoding Tree Defects

Growths on trees can be a normal part of the life cycle. They aren’t always a sign that things are going wrong with the tree’s health.

Don’t worry about a knobby texture on the bark or darkened burrs. That’s just a sign of minor environmental damage and no risk to the tree’s overall health.

Lichen or moss growing on the bark isn’t a problem, and it’s not dangerous to the tree. But if you see sap leaking from the lumps or the bark’s splitting, call an arborist for a professional assessment.

Treating Lumps and Growths on Trees – Best Practices for Care and Maintenance

Prune branches that are affected by galls and other smaller harmless growths. Make sure you’re using sharp, sterile tools so you don’t spread the disease to other trees, and clean the pruning tools after use.

Remove and dispose of cankers and fungal shelves immediately. Please don’t throw the waste in the compost heap or burn it. This will cause the spread of the disease into the yard.

Spray the affected area with fungicide and monitor it for spread. If it doesn’t recover, call a professional arborist for an evaluation.

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