What's the deal with Black Knot?

You might have been seeing this around your city. It's ugly & spreading fast!

Black knot is a widespread fungal disease that attacks both fruiting and ornamental trees. Once established, black knot is easily identified with its hard, uneven, black galls that seem to enwrap twigs and branches. 

The disease cycle starts when spores are released from established knots where the fungus overwinters, during damp spring conditions. The spores travel and form small, olive-colored swellings over the first season.

By the second year, the growing infection begins releasing its own spores as it swells into the dark, easy-to-spot warty black fungus that coils along stems and branches. 

How do we stop it?!

PRUNING.

Our first & best line of defense. After a careful winter or spring inspection, all knots should be removed and carefully disposed of. Constant monitoring over the summer season is required, and all infected branches should be removed.
This might not save your tree, BUT it will prolong its life. Black Knot is unkind, nasty, and worst of all, ugly.