Those orange, jelly-like growths are the spore-releasing stage of cedar-apple rust, a fungal disease that alternates between juniper or cedar trees and apple trees each year.

Getting rid of them for good means removing the galls, the small woody swellings on the branches that produce these growths, before they swell each spring, combined with a fungicide treatment during the growing season rather than just clearing away this season's visible growth.

What Are the Orange Jelly Growths on a Juniper?

The brown and red galls that form on juniper and cedar trees swell into bright orange, gelatinous horns after rain in spring. These horns are the structure the fungus uses to release its spores, which then blow onto nearby apple trees to continue the disease's two-host cycle.

Are These Growths Actually Harmful to the Juniper?

Not usually as severely as they affect an apple tree nearby. The juniper typically tolerates the galls without serious health decline, since the more noticeable damage from cedar-apple rust tends to show up on the apple side of the cycle rather than on the juniper itself.

Can the Orange Growths Be Physically Removed?

Yes. Pruning out the visible galls before they swell and release spores in spring reduces how many spores reach a nearby apple tree that season. On a large, heavily infected juniper, though, pruning every gall isn't always practical, since new ones can form on branches that are hard to reach.

What Else Helps Get Rid of the Underlying Problem?

Spraying Fungi Max Multi-Purpose Fungicide onto the juniper, along with any nearby apple tree, during the growing season controls rust on both sides of the cycle rather than addressing just one host. Treating both trees, instead of relying on pruning alone, is the more complete way to reduce how many of these growths appear the following spring.

Frequently Asked Questions

When during the year do the orange growths typically appear?

In spring, after rain. That's when the galls swell and release spores, which is also the point where they become most visible on the tree.

Do the orange growths always mean a nearby apple tree is at risk?

Yes, if an apple or crabapple tree is within wind range, since the spores released from these growths are what travel over to infect it.

Will the growths come back if the galls aren't removed?

Yes. Galls that aren't pruned out can persist on the juniper and produce new orange growths again the following spring.

Is it safe to prune off the orange growths by hand?

Yes, using standard pruning tools and basic care is enough. No special handling precautions are documented for this stage of the fungus beyond typical pruning practice.