Is it fungus or something?

[greenloon]

Hello everyone! I am new to this site so I would just like to say that I am very happy to have found it and thank you all ahead of time for your help....sooo.........thank you!

Here we go, I believe the trees in question are some sort of crab apple. A while back I started to notice yellow leaf spots, but did not think much of them. As time went on the number of spots increase, so I was forced to investigate. Upon closer examination I noticed that these were not just plain old leaf spots. On the underside of the leaf corresponding to the leaf spot is a small cluster with what appears to be several tentacle things growing out of it. Almost every leaf on the tree has quite a few of these odd growths....any idea what the heck it is? Lets rehash.....top of leaf=yellow leaf spot; bottom of leaf=odd growth with tentacles.

Does anyone have any idea what the heck this is? Do I need to be worried? Is it going to harm my trees (there are 3 all with the same affliction)? Can it be stopped (does it need to be) and how?
I am at wits end.....any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Problems on leaves are almost always only cosmetic.
Crabs get apple scab fungus, it's a fact of life. It is controled by spraying fungicide in the spring, twice, at a cost of about $35 each application.
If you do nothing, your tree won't die, it will just not look as nice and be less vigorous.

 

[Jay Banks]

What you have is this

 

[greenloon]

Thats the stuff! Thanks a lot guys! I really appreciate the help. It is thankfully not as bad as whay is shown in Jay's picture. So, as far as controlling it, it should only be treated in the spring? Doing something now would be pointless?

 

[Jay Banks]

On the contrary, sanitation will help control re-exposure to some degree. As leaves fall remove them to the trash.

 

[John Paul McMillin]

Yea thats Cedar-Apple rust , you must have some Juniper nearby because it takes a juniper host to complete the cycle from the apple or crabapple to the juniper and back. You need to spray them with Banner or Dithane starting at budbreak 3 times at 14 day intervals. JPM

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

That is native juniper only, the orientals don't carry it. I often recomend removal of any of these juni's if the Hawthorn is concidered important. If neighbors have the juni, then replacing the hawthorn may be the better long term solution. Pagoda dogwood is not over used, yet.

 

[John Paul McMillin]

Around here its usually Juniperus virginiana ( eastern red cedar )