MASTER GARDENER TO THE RESCUE.
Fuzzy Stuff? Not sure if any of my old professors' of pathology or entomology would use the term fuzzyor not? to me it is the perfect way to discribe Woolly apple flocculence on your pyracantha.
I'll tell you what you have & you can give me a thumbs up if i am correct, okay?
you have some woody swellings (galls) on some branches and at the roots.
correct? i thought so.
also a cottony waxy material on the branches near splits in the bark.
how am i doing so far?
plant is showing poor growth compared to usual...
under that white "fuzzy" stuff you will find some reddish-bodied insects about 1/ 16th long. they are busy sucking the juices out of your plant.
am i still in the right ballpark? Do'n okay for not seeing your plant, huh?
did you know your firethorn is a member of the apple family? yep, it sure is.
the galls and swelling... wait... did i mention swelling before? if i didn't , i should have. well anyway, you have "wooly apple aphids". (say that 3 times fast.)
okay, ants are all over too, right? after the sticky honeydew the aphids execrate. you are not going to cure it... ever. you can get it under control by controling the ants, but you will never be free from on going monitoring and control.
unless this is a very important part of your landscape, this dok thinks it's time to bring out the tree saw and put it out of it pain.
IMPORTANT: CLEAN ALL SAWS and tools with bleach after cutting it down & before using them on any other plants!!
If you have to keep it, try a good insecticidal soap AND CONTROL YOUR ANTS.
it's okay if you want a second opinion. i'm not the only garden dok hang'n out at answers. but i am the best dok. tee hee.
