Q.
I have a woody cancerous growth coming from my peach tree trunk. Should I
remove it or leave it alone?
 |
| Crown gall on peach tree |
A.
Judging from the pictures you sent, this woody growth looks like the early
stage of bacterial crown gall disease. When the tree is older, this cancer-like
growth can get quite large but it’s nothing to get overly excited about. It’s
not a deadly disease like fire blight can be, but it does cause a gall-like
growth of woody tissue near the point of infection.
 |
| Crown gall at the actual crown of a tree. |
Sometimes it’s seen as a gall on the
trunks of infected trees that were “nicked” with a dirty shovel that contacted
the soil. In any case, break off this ball from the tree when it gets larger.
It will grow back again.
 |
| Crown gall on the limb of a peach tree. |