How to groom an Oak sapling as it grows

[penright]

I thought I would update you all on the status and have a question. I found a few bagworms. I have dealt with them before. I think there is a field where they are blowing in occasionally. For bad infestations, I have used Bonide. It will work for a few years then they pop back up. For now, I was pulling the bags, but I noticed something I had never seen before. It is a kind of a black hard shell on both leaves and branches. What are these? I just noticed the picture of the acorns had some in it also. I circled them in red.

Here is a picture ...


Now for the update here are some pictures.

 

[pdqdl]

Bagworms don't fly in, they crawl in from one of your neighbors' juniper bush most likely. Maybe your own.

They are very unlikely to damage an oak. You pictures look like a gall of some sort. They are both difficult to control and impractical to try. Disfiguring, they won't hurt your tree.