Hi guys, After a little internet ID-work, I'm positive that the orange-jelly fungus growing on my Incense Cedars is Gymnosporangium libocedri, or Pacific Coast Pear Rust. I've just transplanted several new trees in from a wholesale nursery and they have quite a few of these jelly fungus' on them. I got curious and investigated the seven or so Incense's that I've already got in the landscape and they do have a few of these jelly blotches. I've never noticed them, and the other incenses certainly are happy at home. Some sites say it can weaken and even eventually kill stressed and/or newly transplanted trees, which is kind of me though these are not small trees...10-12 footers. I've found some recommended fungicides, but they seem to be both dangerous (12hr reentry) and exorbitantly expensive. Do I need to treat this at all? I'm kind of thinking the answer is no, but I wanted to consult the forum's experience.
From what I've read about these rusts, they usually damage the deciduous host much more than the coniferous one. You might not have to do anything to keep your Incense Cedars healthy. If you really have Gymnosporangium libocedri, the alternate host is a Serviceberry, which is not commonly planted. You might have some wild Serviceberry trees/shrubs nearby, and these could potentially be eliminated.
