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Oak Spangle Galls

 
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Wingy



Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 270
Location: Fife, Scotland
PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 06 11:52 am    Post subject: Oak Spangle Galls Reply with quote
    

Not sure if this goes in here or in Grow Your Own but... my Oaks have clusters of Common Spangle Galls on a few of the leaves. Some Oaks also have a fair number of old and current galls. I know these are produced by gall wasps laying their larvae inside the galls, however my question is do either type of galls actually damage the tree, if so how, or does the tree merely play host to the wasp & larvae? I've noticed they are more on the Common Oaks rather than the Sessiles. Would this eventually move over to the Sessiles also? We planted these Oaks as saplings 12 years ago. When will they begin producing acorns? I have a feeling not in my lifetime.

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales
PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 06 12:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

doesnt answer the question but the common round marble galls are worth saving if you find any, the re-enactors use them to make oak gall ink and I can always find them a home if you can't use them for anything yourself

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45389
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 06 1:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

This is a reply from a tree man I know:

"Spangle galls are neither here nor there so far as significant damage is concerned. Oak seed production, I think starts around year 35 but it is listed in Forestry Practice - mine's at home..."

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45389
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 06 3:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Here's a response from another:

"It seems to me that anything that diverts
energy away from making timber must be at the expense of something else somewhere, so strictly it might decrease the rate of growth albeit infinitesimally.

You may recall the fuss about Knopper Galls a few years ago, the new DED** was the now familiar cry. It sems that the Knopper Gall is just another occasional curiosity with no major long-term significance.

As to why the Oaks get so many? I assume it's just evolution; the Oaks have been here so long they've evolved to tolerate/coexist with their parasites and vice versa. A lot of these diseases appear to be species specific although some, like the knopper gall have a life cycle that is partially or completely dependent on alternate hosts eg Poplar Rust.

Remember the mantra frequently quoted in RAT2; "repeated infestations may lead to long-term decline." Oaks seem to take so long over declning that the infestation/infection frequently
seems to decline more quickly than the host. Unless the infestation is a bloke with a JCB of course."

**DED=Dutch Elm Disease

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45384
Location: yes
PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 06 4:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

ace for tanning leather or pelts

Wingy



Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 270
Location: Fife, Scotland
PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 06 10:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thank you all. That has put my mind at ease. I had a feeling they just co-exist but I wasn't entirely sure. All my searches online have resulted in sites about the life cycle of the gall wasp and very little else. Thank you, again.

I've watched these Oaks struggle to establish themselves for the first 10 years (purely because of our location & the elements), and it's only in the last two years they have really started to grow well. I don't want anything to hinder their growth now, especially as my children planted most of them when they were young.

We each plant a tree every New Year's Day, with the idea that we plant for Nature, for our future, and for future generations. It's become a bit of a family tradition.

The Oaks are part of two small copses we planted on our otherwise barren property, comprising native Scottish trees and shrubs, with assistance & grants from Scottish Natural Heritage and FWAG. We also planted over 3,500 native Scottish trees & shrubs as wildlife hedging the same way. It has given me the greatest pleasure to watch them all grow, most to maturity, the benefits of which I reap now. I love my trees! Of all the trees, the Oaks are my favourite. They are of great importance to me.

It's also been wonderful to see the sheer diversity of wildlife that has moved in since planting the trees. I want to make sure they are here for a very long time.


Sally, the only thing I do with old Common marble galls is use them in making Christmas decorations with children each year - Craft Days in my kitchen from Advent onwards. There are quite a few galls on the trees, so you are very welcome to them. Out of curiosity, what do the re-enactors use the ink for?

35 years, eh? I really hope I'm still around at the age of 70 to see them produce - my children and I intend to plant the first acorns. And JCBs are banned from my property!

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator


Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales
PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 06 5:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Wingy wrote:

Sally, the only thing I do with old Common marble galls is use them in making Christmas decorations with children each year - Craft Days in my kitchen from Advent onwards. There are quite a few galls on the trees, so you are very welcome to them. Out of curiosity, what do the re-enactors use the ink for?



cheers Wingy. The ink is made by grinding the galls and boiling them up with ferrous sulphate or scraps of iron in vinegar, it makes the type of ink used on the old manuscripts so gets used for pen and ink work. Plus, as dpack says, usedul in tanning and dyeing.

If you find yourself with a surplus let me know and I'll swap you something for an envelopefull

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