# Olive Trees: Bumps on Branches & Stems
Fruit-bearing olive trees, many species of which are native to the Mediterranean region, are highly cold sensitive and grow best in areas with warm, dry weather. A bacterial infection causes the appearance of bumps on trees.
-
Identification
-
Olive trees are susceptible to the olive knot disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. Savastanol. The bacteria enters the tree through damaged, wounded or scarred bark and wood. All olive trees species are prone to the disorder.
Damage
-
The disease causes the appearance of round swellings or galls---0.5 inch to 2 inches in diameter---on all infected areas of the tree, including foliage, roots, branches and stems. The rough textured galls defoliate trees when they appear on younger shoots. The galls also appear on the trunk, especially at the sites of wounds.
Control
-
Olive knot disease is hard to control once trees are infected. Preventive strategies are among the best management options. Trees should be pruned in summer---with disinfected tools---to remove all galls. Fungicidal control options include the use of Bordeaux mixtures and copper-based fungicides.
-
- How to Raise Olive Trees
- How to Clean Up Olive Trees
- Outdoor Olive Care
- Olive Tree with Bumps on the Branches and Stems
- Climate Zones for Olive Trees
- Do Olive Trees Need Cross Pollination?
- How to Prune Sweet Olive & Fig Trees
- Planting & Spacing of Olive Trees
- Trees With Weeping Branches
- How to Graft Branches on Olive Trees
- Orange Bumps on Fruit Trees
- Fungus on Cherry Tree Branches
