We were providing a deep root fertilization treatment to a large oak today, and noticed these “puffy” brown balls around the ground under the tree. These are oak galls, that were once the cocoon of a tree wasp. The wasp lays its eggs on the branches and twigs of the tree. They inject a hormone into the plant tissue, causing this abnormal growth. The eggs of the wasp develop inside the little ball. Once they are ready to hatch, they chew a hole in the side of the gall, and fly away. Oak Galls are usually harmless to the tree as long as they don’t rise to the level of infestation.
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