I have a very old -25 yrs? Weeping cherry that is showing a lot of the amber gum stuff and I understand is call ed canker? I have tried to remove the bark that is curling and the gum so that there are no hidden spots for further disease, but as I go along it seems it's quite infested around the trunk. I have stopped and need help with what I can do to halt this disease or control it. Can I paint the areas that I cleaned? Clorox? My landscaper says it will die in a couple of years. It still blossoms, and the leaves are fine. branches are old and knarly, but seem ok. Here are some photos. I hate to loose it....I recently moved to CT from NY and not very experienced with gardening, but I have to get into it-- everyone here is ! thank you, Barbara
Top looks pretty full and green. Treatments might be helpful if you think you know what the causal agent is and a specific treatment for it. Part would depend on how rotten and weak the heartwood is or becomes. Even if you do get substantial new growth of wood back over the huge canker if tree breaks off before enough has formed it will still have been lost despite the turnaround - it will take quite a bit of this new wood to make it able to hold itself up should the core be gone.
What kind of treatments are available for this situation? How would I go about lookin further into this?
As Ron pointed out the top growth appears to be fine for now. The trunk of the tree does need some work to cover over the huge wet lesion that caused some separation of the bark. It is not the Bacterial canker that concerns me the most, it is what can come about afterwards such as various borers such as Flathead (trunk) and Shothole borers (trunk and side branches) that will come in and attack even a marginally weakened tree. The biggest concern to be wary of that can come about later on is Armillaria root rot and that will result in the death of the tree once the fungus gets fully established right at the graft union if there is one (does appear to be a union of two woods) or at trunk level right at the soil line. If the tree was mine and I let it get this far along I'd want to some tree sealant to fill in the large lesion. I'd want to spray the entire trunk and the crotch of the tree with an organophosphate spray - Diazinon will work but if you have borers in the trunk then you will want a high powered spray such as Lindane or Isotox of which both may be very hard to find. I've used Creosote mixed in with water and hand painted (using a paint brush) on over the lesions for native Pines and introduced Ornamentals and have had success keeping the Flathead borers from moving further up and deeper into the tree and closed off their exit strategy with the Creosote mixture along with some hot tar, that I came in with later after the painting dried and covered over the entire lesion. For this Cherry I would want either the Creosote or a systemic insecticide spray (wear protective gloves and clothing for both) to spray the entire trunk with more emphasis directed towards the lesions. Apply the spray then come back in with the tree sealant and cover over the big lesion trying to fill in the indention and leaving a sealant covering that matches up evenly with the bark. I use a putty knife to do just this. After the sealant dries, check for any sunken areas that you may get and fissures where the sealant and the wood meet are separating. If the separation is more than an inch, an inch wide vertical crack then you may want to seal over that crack. Otherwise leave it as is and then paint over the entire trunk all the way to the ground, the whole crotch area and paint in a circle about a foot to two feet of the two major side limbs. To protect the top growth you may want to invest in a Copper or Calcium based fungicide. I mention products by name sparingly in an online forum format but you can buy a good systemic over the counter fungicide soil drench at a local Home Depot, Lowes or perhaps even a Wal-Mart or you can check and see if they also carry a good wettable powder, (50WP) mixed with water, fungicide spray for Cherries, Fruit and Nut trees and Ornamental trees, both with a Bayer name on the labels. If you tend or decide not to, to the damaged areas with a sealant or the Creosote, give this tree a systemic fungicide spray or a soil drench, paint over the tree with a white latex paint (may require two coats), provide a complete (one that has Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium in the formulation) fertilizer for this tree in the Spring, give this tree a pre-bloom light oil and fungicide dormant spray every year, prune off any browned growth in the canopy as soon as you see them, then I see no reason why this tree cannot live for another 15-20 years for you. Note: I have no knowledge of the history of this tree and any prior symptoms of disease such as Cherry Crinkle, Buckskin, Fireblight, even Eutypa (Dead-arm) can be found on some Cherries and Ceratocystis canker but by the look of the top growth there does not appear to be recent blast or blight damage from various strains of topical Pseudomonas which tells me other than the fact you do have clear cut evidence of an internal Bacterial canker caused by Pseudomonas syringae in the plants system, as seen in the trunk, you may not have enough of it elsewhere to kill this tree. By itself the Bacterial canker form you have in the tree usually does not kill it, it is what can come about later that can be lethal to this tree. All signs point to a tree that is reasonably healthy otherwise. You should not lose this tree in a couple of years even if you maintain it as is and just give this tree a latex paint coating but you do risk a secondary invader coming in at some time (although the painting should preclude a Flathead borer from coming in but will not stop a Shothole borer from attacking side branches) and that organism or borer insect can either kill the tree in short order or debilitate the tree over time, whereby the tree decimates into nothingness after you prune out all of the diseased, infested and/or deadened limbs and side branches in the top growth. Jim
All I can say is Wow! I came to the right place. Can't thank you enough. I love this tree and since I have moved from the city to the country, I'm am trying to learn as much as I can. The reason the problem has gotten this far, isa a lack of knowledge: I thought the gum was some sort of tree sap and very normal. So thank you. By the way , there does not seem to be any problems with the branches or leaves, so I'm grateful for that. Thanks again. Barbara
It may have been not one problem, but two. Does the long wound face the sun? At least the top looks okay. If nothing else, the tree has character.
Long wound does not face the sun. Is that good or bad? I'm having trouble cutting the bark back to meet the good in-tact area of tree trunk in some areas. I don't know how far to go. If i cut out all the gum-goo areas, it would be 1/2 way around the trunk and about 1 yard from the ground. Is it critical to get all the gum-goo gone before going forward with other treatments? thanks. The tree is a beauty- sits in front of house built in 1929
You can stop working on the gummosis anytime now prior to you giving this tree a disease and insect suppressant painting. Most people will not like my approach to dealing with this disease and that is fine by me, although I've dealt with trees like this and ones worse off than this tree is now. The most important task to do is the painting. The insecticide spray is entirely optional, so is the soil drench to prevent or suppress a possible later occurring Oak root fungus. The topical fungicide spray is also not required but may come in very handy for you, prudent to use as a dormant spray in most areas where edible and Flowering Cherries are grown. You may want to contact your nearest Connecticut Cooperative Extension System Center. Use this link below to help locate the closest office to you and ask them what they would do for your tree and who they would recommend to come out and check for borer activity in the trunk and in the side branches, as well as give an assessment of what needs to be done to this tree now and years down the road to better maintain and protect the top growth you have now. Connecticut Cooperative Extension System Jim
When looking for a tree pruning sealant, I am told that a product like"TangleFoot" Latex sealant is the way to go, yet it seems to be a liquid that you spread on with their own brush. It does not seem to be a paste that you put on to "fill-in" the pruned area so that the material is flush with the bark. Which product should I be looking for please? I did find a good Systemic Fungicide, and now ready for sealant. Also, in case anyone is interested in following my plight- I read that a sympton of blight is if the leaves at the tips of branches are brown and dead..and yes- that's exactly what I see. Is this a different disease than Canker? Many thanks.....