Symptoms for the Hackberry Tree

• The hackberry tree, when infected, begins to develop numerous thin twigs that grow out of either the branch or a knot on the branch. The twigs continue to multiply until they are all in a knotted, tight bunch on the branch of the tree.
  
  

Symptoms for the Cacao Tree

• The cacao tree is widely known for the chocolate it produces. Witch's Broom fungus attacks the pods of the cacao, causing the pods not to produce the cocoa beans because of the multitude of twigs it causes to grow on the branch where the flowering buds are.
  
  

How the Fungus Spreads

• The Witch's Broom fungus is spread from tree to tree by releasing spores, which are transferred by the wind. Once the spores land on a new tree, it only takes an application of water to activate them.
  
  

Treatment

• There is not much that will get rid of this fungal disease. Burning the clumps of infection on the branches is only a temporary solution as the fungus will continue to spread and repopulate on the tree.
  
  

Prevention

• Planting a tree well away from an infected tree will help protect it from Witch's Broom fungus. Pruning the tree regularly will help to get rid of the fungal spores, if they are on the tree, and keep them from spreading. Dispose of the pruned limbs to keep the fungus from moving back onto the tree.