calling all gardening experts - what is this yucky thing on my oak sapling???

[Tutter]

we were bought an oak sapling as a gift for ds2 's recent birth

just noticed a weird thing (note technical term) on the underside of some of the leaves - green/brown disc-like things that can be removed (i.e. are not part of the leaf - so not blisters, iykwim)

pic on my profile - sorry tis blurry - new camera and don't know how to do close-ups

any ideas?

anyone?

hello madam
you have scale insect me dear
best thing you can do for it is plant it out and let natural predators deal with it
if you keep it inside the scale will multiply and cause leaf loss and weaken the plant.

you could try picking a load of the scale off before planting out, that might help

how is the minitutt?

ugh that it is a beastie (am phobic about such things) (makes me think of skin diseases)

didn't want to plant it as we are renting and will be moving at some point in the next year or so

will it help if i just leave it in the pot outside?

minitutt great thanks. a bit colicky, but fab anyway. ds1 proving slightly more of a challenge...

also (it makes my skin crawl to even think of it) can i not just pick the disc thingies off? (or preferably, get someone else to do it)

or will it come back

any other green fingered knowledegeable ones out there...?

I think it may be Spangle Gall, caused by a gall wasp - Neuroterus quercusbaccarum (ok so I had to look up the latin name!)

scabby oak leaf

i think you are right - looks exactly like that

so... can they just be picked off do you think?

Did you read the bit about complex life cycles?

If you do pick them off take them away and burn them (or something) or they wll hatch next year (female)and fly up to you oak lay currant galls which will hatch M&F and breed to lay scales again - serious yuck.

I would pick off and destroy.

Oh the other hand, I'm not sure they will harm the plant, just look grim.

we had a similar scaly beasty on our acer bonsai, blasted the buggers off with the hose pipe - it worked. Good luck.

i shall think of some unpleasant conclusion to their life cycle

don't think i can brin myself to do the pickin myself - i have been seriously stressed by the image of them - couldn't get it out of my mind when i was drifting off to sleep last night