Peach tree sap bleeding problem

Discussion in 'Fruit and Nut Trees' started by hungry hippo, Jun 30, 2004.

  1. hungry hippo

    hungry hippo Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    Hello,
    Have any of you fruit tree growers encountered this condition? This "blistering" of clear sap on the base of the trunks is occurring on otherwise healthy young cherry trees. This particular one is a multi-graft (bing, rainier and stella) and fruited well this year. It appears to be healthy and the only other unusual thing that I have experienced with these trees was a very heavy infestation of tent caterpillars a couple of months ago that required (or at least it did in my opinion) some out of season pruning. Other than that, the only problems I have had are some minor leaf curl. The trees are mulched with composted steer manure and watered fairly regularly. Any ideas as what this is and how serious it is would be much appreciated. Thanks!
    p.s. I have had some evidence of bacterial canker on some old flowering scrub cherries elsewhere on the property.
     

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  2. mr.shep

    mr.shep Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    San Joaquin Valley, California
    Hi Hungry Hippo:

    Can you provide a close up pic of the white or yellowish
    colored glob, that is the one on the furthest left of the
    picture? I am seeing the possible effects of two diseases,
    that is why I asked for the pic. The gummosis mass on
    the right side is indicative of Bacterial Canker. How long
    ago did your first notice the gummosis? Was it present
    during the Winter is what I want to know? A lot of times
    what we automatically think is a Bacterial Canker wound
    was actually caused by borers and borers love Cherry trees.
    Can you tell me if the apparent lesion above and to the right
    of the gummosis spot is moist to the touch or not?

    Was this tree double grafted? Was the trunk grafted to the
    rootstock and then the 3 fruiting grafts grafted much higher
    up on the trunk? The reason I asked is that I am not seeing
    very well a low graft if there was one.

    Jim
     
  3. Jay

    Jay

    Me too

    My cherry tree also has developed these clear and yellowish sap accumulations but I don't know if they were present over the winter. I first noticed it near the base, but now that I look more closely I see that there is quite a bit going up one of the main stems. If it's a borer or a bacterial infection, is there a treatment. It flowered and fruited well this year (as always) and otherwise appears healthy. It's quite old though
    Jay
     
  4. mr.shep

    mr.shep Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    Hi Jay:

    Now and while the tree is dormant are the times of year
    we will see some evidence of Bacterial Canker on our
    Cherry Trees. Usually we will see the initial gummosis
    just right above the graft. There is no preventative as
    the bacterium was in the initial host grafting material
    used to make your tree. Virtually all Cherries have
    some degree of Bacterial Canker in their systems. We
    can suppress the disease by spraying the trees including
    a good dousing of the trunks with a copper or a calcium
    based fungicide such as lime sulphur while the tree is
    dormant, at pre-bloom and/or at the popcorn stage (when
    the flower buds start to swell just prior to their opening).

    Below is a URL you may want to read.

    http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/tfipm/bacterialcanker.htm

    Jim
     
  5. dax

    dax

    Cherry tree sap bleeding problem

    I have a cherry tree that has a bleeding problem halfway up the trunk. I noticed it this spring. It is a clear rust colour and when it is running it is a sticky sap and when it dries on the tree trunk it is the same colour and clear, but a hard rubber texture. The last 2 years it did not bear much fruit and had reduced foliage. I have had 2 dry summers in my area and I attributed the poor production to the weather. This year the tree started to bleed.
    What can I do to stop this?
     
  6. auldsport

    auldsport Member

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    I have a peach tree which may have the same trouble you have discussed with the cherry trees. Just yesterday I noticed all around the base of the tree a soft mushy goo spreading to about 2 to 3 inches from the trunk. I thoroughly examined the tree and other than at the base there is no appearance of this goo. I poked the goo with a stick and there was a globule of clear jelly on the top of it which looked similar to the goo shown on the cherry tree trunk. My first thought was that some creatures must be eating the roots of the tree, but perhaps it is a disease. This tree is probably about six years old and has been healthy and productive in the three years I have known it. I really want to save it, what can I do?
     
  7. mr.shep

    mr.shep Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    If you can do it post some photos of the
    gummosis of your Peach tree if you can.
    I'd like to see where the graft of your tree
    is in relation to the ground level also and
    a photo of the entire tree if you can do
    all of this. What variety of Peach is it?

    Give me something to work with and
    I'll see what I can do.

    Jim
     
  8. auldsport

    auldsport Member

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    Jim,

    I have three photos for you. When we first noticed the gummy substance it was a veritable moat surrounding the tree. I was digging around in the moat to see if there were any bugs to see, but all i saw were a few ants. We then took a hose and rinsed away the slime and gooey soil and pulled it away from the trunk to get a better look. I was worried this might be a bad idea, but was outvoted... At any rate this is why the soil looks the way it does near the base. You can tell where the soil line was by the darkness and slime and where the trunk starts to have hips. All i know about this variety of peach is that it has yellow flesh and looks similar to store bought peaches though these tend to be smaller and much tastier. Let me know if I can provide more details for your inspection, and thanks for trying to help me identify this problem.

    -brandy
     

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  9. mr.shep

    mr.shep Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    Hi Brandy:

    You have more than one problem at work here with
    the trunk of this tree. There a quick fix suppressant
    for it but that fix alone will not be your panacea to
    cure this tree.

    I am seeing evidence of a root rot fungus which either
    the trunk of this tree is too moist due to water hitting
    it or the soil has been much too wet for too long. We
    usally see this same condition on Cherries out here
    even in dry conditions but the wetness exacerbates
    the condition. The fungus along with the bacterial
    canker already in the tree will be the eventual demise
    for this tree. We can suppress these two evils and
    make the tree live longer but the tree will perish
    in time due to both dieases working in conjunction
    with each.

    From what I am seeing the tree does not appear to
    get all day sun, appears to be getting quite a bit of
    shade, is that right? Is the soil ever able to dry out
    at weekly intervals during the year? How are you
    watering this tree and how often? Unless you let
    the soil dry out some during the year this tree will
    be iffy for you planted in that spot with what I
    suspect is a little too much shade for this tree.

    What I would do and I would do it now is that I
    would scrape off as much of the gummosis as
    possible using a putty knife if need be. Wait a
    day or two and then spray the whole tree with
    Copper sulfate or a Copper based fungicide such
    as Ridomil but make sure to spray the trunk heavily.
    Wait about 2-3 days to let the trunk dry and then
    apply a white latex paint and paint the whole trunk
    and paint it heavy. Two coats allover the trunk if
    need be. The paint keeps out insect invaders and
    will force the sap to stay more so inside the tree
    without seeping out through the trunk. Paint all
    of the trunk all the way down to ground level and
    paint as high up the tree to the first lateral or side
    branch.

    Jim
     
  10. auldsport

    auldsport Member

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    I will do as you suggest. This tree does not get all day sun, it gets more like 1/2 - 2/3 day sun. After reading your comments, I fear the problem might have been caused by excessive watering this last summer. In the past it was never watered, but this year it was the unlucky neighbor of some thirsty plants who asked for water every other day. What a sad day, I am horrified to know that I seem to have inadvertently destroyed this beautiful tree! Thank you for the advice. We had an unusually hot and dry summer, but even so it does rain here and it is quite humid.

    Just out of curiosity, could something like this be caused by a sick tree elsewhere? Is it contagious? I ask because we have a beautiful and enormous copper beech that has been diagnosed with some kind of terminal disease, and it has bleeding wounds on the trunk as well, though the ooze appears to be black and not as gelatinous. We we told one year ago it was going to die and in that time it has lost more than 2/3 of its fullness. The afflicted branches have stunted leaves that seem curled and brown and the bark is peeling off. i noticed on the peach tree that a couple branches didn't succeed in developing fruit, but clearly tried. There are tiny beginnings of peaches still on those branches, they look more like seedpods. The leaves are also tiny and undeveloped on a few branches. Is there any relationship between these two sick trees?
     
  11. mr.shep

    mr.shep Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Location:
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    No, you did not kill this tree and yes, you can help
    prolong its life. Give this tree more direct sunlight
    and deep water the tree but water less often during
    the Summer months.

    The fungus usually is found right at the graft union.
    Sometimes the graft is covered over with soil that
    retains too much moisture and then we will see the
    effects of the rotting. It cannot be cured per say
    but we surely can slow down the effects of it. I
    have an Almond tree that first showed the same
    effects 25 years ago and it is still alive. A Cherry
    tree I referenced in another thread had this same
    condition of both pathogens at work over 30 years
    ago and it is still alive. If we do nothing to slow
    down the spread of the diseases we can expect the
    tree to perish on us much sooner than we want it to.

    You still have time to do something about saving
    your tree and I suggest you start right away.

    No, the diseases you have in this Peach are not
    communicable from a planted tree already infected
    with a disease and more likely with the Beech,
    probable borer insects. The painting of the trunk
    on your Peach will keep the borers away and will
    cover any of them up that are in your tree now and
    will cause them to die as you will have prevented,
    covered over with the paint, their escape from your
    tree.

    Jim
     
  12. auldsport

    auldsport Member

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    Thank goodness, I am much relieved to hear about the trees living with this problem for many years. Thank you so much for all your advice, I am rushing out now to find the anti-fungal you mentioned. You have been very kind and helpful. Have a wonderful day!
     
  13. gafyon

    gafyon Member

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    I am having a similar problem with cherry and peach trees on my property. Yellowish, sticky sap starts to appear on a tree and then spreads all over. At the end, some of the infected trees shed foliage and died. All of the trees get sunlight all day. I have attached some pictures below and would appreciate any help.

    Also, this problem seems to be spreading from one tree to another.
     

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  14. phxmedi8r

    phxmedi8r Member

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    Location:
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    I have the exact same problem as gafyon in that my peach trees have the sap weeping issue that is shown in gafyon's fig #1. I have two older trees with the problem, but a new tree that does not. Also, we had an unusually hard frost here for a few nights in AZ this winter. Could that have caused the problem? I'd like to do what I can before the trees begin to bud next month.
     
  15. darcy sreebny

    darcy sreebny Member

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    Location:
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    I'm writing about the same problem as gafyon's cherry trees, and my cherry tree looks just like the photos posted. I too live near Washington, D.C.
    Did you ever treat these trees successfully? What did you do?
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2011
  16. N Dendy

    N Dendy Member

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    Dont prune in 0-5 degrees celcius during wet conditions. It is very hard to spread canker with equipment even when scientists have tried, so dont worry about sterilizing tools, but it does spread onto the cuts you make none the less, so just dont prune during cool and wet conditions. Sub-zero to -12 is the best time to prune as you will not spread cytospera either. Copper or even bleach, if used very carefully, could surface sterilize if you are getting leaf-drop during the described conditions. Another thing you could try is slashing the trunk vertically on both sides of the infection to stop it from girdleing the trunk. This girdleing is why a lot of young trees dont survive. Painting cuts with "Heal and Seal" might help also. Lots of healthy and productive trees had/have canker.
     

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