Ficus Tree - They Have Gall!

Recently a subscriber at plant-care.com asked the question about Ficus tree care and send along a picture of a condition called “gall.” In our eBook on Ficus Tree Care we cover top to bottom on caring for your Ficus - however, Ficus gall is seen by so few it is not covered in much detail.

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Here’s want they wanted to know about this Ficus condition:

• What causes gall on Ficus Trees?
• Is it detrimental to the tree?

Their first thought… the gall would not harm the plant for quite a number of years! Were they correct? What are your thoughts?

Before we answer the Ficus Gall question - what exactly does it look like?

You can see the “tannish-brown mass” stuck to the trunk of the Ficus tree. That is what we call a “Gall.”

What causes gall on Ficus Trees?

For my experience Gall comes from a fungal or bacterial infection. More than anything the gall looks “ugly.”

Here’s another picture of Ficus gall.

Now to the question - Is is detrimental to the Ficus tree?

For my experience, I have not noticed any “ill effects” from gall.

In the first image I’m not sure if there is much you can do. However, if you do decide to “cut it out” Make sure you disinfect the clippers before and after surgery!

On small plants I would just cut the Gall out.

The bottom 2 images are from the Fess Parker Double Tree in Santa Barbara where I attended a conference a few years ago. They had a large Ficus with a gall the size of a softball in the lobby. It made for great conversation over a 45 minutes time span.

When I went back the following year the Ficus trees were still doing very well in spite of the gall as big as a softball on one of the trees.

Need help with your Ficus Care? Check out the Check out the Care Guide.

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