Last week I noticed a large clump on milky white substance with a fruity, fermenting alcohol smell to it. At first I thought perhaps someone had tossed a margarita at it, so I washed it off. Turns out, it wasn't margaritas. Its oozing from where one of the main branches attaches to the trunk. Its also on the same branch higher up in the tree. Standing next to it, you can hear it bubbling out of the trunk. It drips down to the ground and leaves the milky substance that seriously looks like a frozen margarita to me. Is this mimosa wilt, or heart rot? Is the tree doomed? It suffered some trauma last year while extending our yard - several major roots were cut and I pruned a few branches that were crossing but used a sealer on them. It bloomed this year and I still have mostly green leaves. A few branches have yellowing leaves on them, but other than that it doesn't appear unhealthy. The tree seems to be dropping leaves and pods sooner than last year, but I can't say for certain. I think the tree is beautiful and makes an amazing focal point for the yard and the martini glass shape could not be more perfect for that space so I hate to lose it. However, if the tree is terminal, I won't be too upset for very long as I won't miss the trashiness. Any ideas on what's going on? Can you confirm my suspicion of wilt disease? Any cures or actions I should take to insure other trees in the area don't suffer from this ill tree? I have river birch, redbuds, and palms nearby. Thanks.
Some time ago, while researching my own 'oozing sap' problem, I came upon a condition called wetwood or slime flux which seem to match your description. Have a look at this (.pdf) document. Interestingly, it also describes a condition called alcoholic flux which affects the mimosa (Albizia julibrissin?) tree.
It looks like you may be right with it being Alcoholic flux. It states it can occur in mimosas affected by Fusarium wilt - which, according to my research, has no cure. If this is in fact true, any precautions I should take when removing this tree? Its about 25 feet tall - a daunting task to remove. Should I have someone remove it for me? I've already decided to plant a nice true date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) in its place should the tree need to removed. Would it be wise to sterilize the soil before hand? We will be buying one of comparable size to fill that void. It'll run us around $1000 so I don't want any leftover fungus to infect this investment. It appears I should burn the branches of the tree to prevent spreading but I'm concerned the liquid that is oozing is going to affect the other plants in that bed - pineapple guava, knock out roses, wisteria, among a few other small shrubs. Just to be on the safe side, would it be best to seek the advice of a certified arborists?
So many questions. Unfortunately I cannot help you as my knowledge of these conditions is limited merely to their existence. Hopefully the experts who frequent these forums can offer their advice. Good luck.
I certainly appreciate your help. Your article led me to a few possibilities I hadn't found in my search. I've sought the advice of an arborist and I'll post his evaluation when I get it so others can learn from this as well. If anyone else has a take on this, please let me/us know. Thanks again!
The arborist came by today and looked at the tree. He thinks its just an overabundance of water - we've had quite a bit of rain lately - and the tree is consuming more water than it can use and there is just too much pressure which is causing the oozing. It is in fact, alcholoic flux and should pass with time. He recommended keeping an eye on the tree and see how well it blooms next year before declaring the tree a loss and ripping it out. I'm excited. Hope this helps some one else down the line.
