About two months ago a substantial bough fell off our ornamental cherry tree, which is certainly 20+ years old. This increased the asymmery of the tree, leaving most of the large boughs confined to the west, downslope, side. At about the same time, the tree began to "bleed" from several points in the main trunk, about 2.5 m high, and one point close to the base of the largest south-facing branch. The "blood" looks like resin, and congeals in stalactites hanging from the bark. Is this a sign of ill health? Or is it an indication that the stresses induced by the asymmetrical branch load on the main trunk are splitting the trunk open. I should add that I have severely pruned the largest of the west-facing boughs in order to re-establish a degree of greater branch load symmetry.
I think a photo or two of your tree will be needed to evaluate this tree. You have me confused with the term "stalactites" as I equate that with a disease you surely do not want your Cherry tree to have. Is this a sign of ill health? Yes. Or is it an indication that the stresses induced by the asymmetrical branch load on the main trunk are splitting the trunk open. That would be an indication of ill health also. Let's see what the tree and the problem area(s) look like. Jim
Jim, Many thanks for your response. I fear the worst, especially as the bough that fell off earlier this year did so in calm weather. We have the reputation here in Sevenoaks for being "Only one oak now" after the hurricane of 1987. Attached are some annotated pictures of the problem. If they are not clear enough, I have the original frames at 300 dpi from which I can make enlargements. I look forward to hearing what you think. Many thanks for your interest - Phil
Hi Phil: You did a marvelous job with your photos of this tree. It is a pleasure indeed to see someone make the effort, take the time to show us what we need to see. I have reservations about sending you to this link below. It does somewhat show how I look and approach things. http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=8009 I am no nonsense but the tree in the above link was an extreme case. The difference is that her tree will not last another 3-5 years without a some kind of effort to deal with her disease problems, one is fungal with the sporangia showing and the other is bacterial. Both cause cankers. The bacterial canker which is the least of the two worries with her tree is the same pathogen you have which is rather common in all forms of Cherries. This pathogen can be passed from tree to tree as a result of propagation and can even be passed from the parent to the offspring from seed. We cannot control the disease in your tree but we can suppress it. A certified arborist will have a slightly different means to go about dealing with your tree than I will have. I want to attack the disease and slow its spread if I can, whereas an arborist will want to maintain the integrity of the look of the tree while treating for the disease. Sometimes there is a clash is how we do things as maintaining the look may not remedy or help the situation as after we have some semblance of dealing with the disease we can worry about shaping the tree later is how I look at it. What I want you to see in that one thread is that you will want to use a dormant spray with a copper or calcium based fungicide. The Ziram as mentioned in that one thread will help in drying up the gummosis (stalactites) before we paint the truck and the crotches of the trees with preferably an oil based white paint. Linseed oil based paint, if you can still get it, will work. Please wear protective gloves and clothing when applying a linseed oil based paint. You will not need to use an insecticide as your tree is not showing any real insect damage. I am not concerned about the trunk and crotch of this tree. A good fungicide spray along with a good coat of white paint will help slow down the amount of gummosis that you are seeing. The areas that I have some concern about are where the large branch became weakened and fell off leaving a large sized injury, perhaps even an open cavity that years ago I would cover over with a tar like tree sealant without any hesitation after the wound has been cleaned up. You may want to have a professional come in and clean up any of the tree wounds before you use the fungicide spray and then paint. The large limb in the 4th photo bothers me the most as in time that limb will weaken and you risk it falling at a bad time. It will not take much to see the injury crack more and them wham, the whole limb falls off. It is that limb and the large wound where the previous limb fell is what I would want a professional to deal with. You may have to cut the large limb off back to the base of the tree. I know what this will do for the shape of the tree but what is more important, the losing the shape of the tree for several years or risk that limb falling because it will crack more and fall off at some time but thankfully this is not a fruiting Cherry whereby the weight of the fruit will exacerbate the weakening of the crack. I'd rather deal with the known problem before it happens rather than deal with the after effects of the limb falling off later. You should discuss this issue with a professional on the spot at your location. You can get by though for a few to several years by applying a fungicide paste in the cavity and then cover over with paint also. It may not be a bad idea to paint as much of the tree as you can, all the main structures of this tree but do not paint the 3 year old wood and younger. You may need to paint the tree again the next season. I was going to wait until later to write the above so I winged it from the hip for now. Best regards, Jim
Jim, Thank you very much for your lucid and lengthy reply to my post with pix. I'm glad you found them OK. Your advice is much valued. I should earlier have shown you the wound form the fallen bough, and also the stump from the pruned bough (now attached). I have to admit that neither look too healthy, so I'd better get going with the remedial action. I can add that this tree does fruit (for birds, not humankind) but the fruit is never on the tree for long in the spring such is the appetite of our avian community. Let me also add what a pleasure it is to use your bb. The whole look and feel of the site is excellent, and invites participation. Best regards - Phil
Cherry gumming has multiple potential causes. http://plant-disease.ippc.orst.edu/disease.cfm?RecordID=281
Buckskin was my worst fear with Phil mentioning stalactites. Is not always seen on fruiting Cherries. It is WSU that has the fungal canker pegged in the Cherry fungus thread. The only good photos of that particular disease I've seen online. I am not seeing anything I did not expect to see from the coloration of the bark. Another worst fear I have and why I tend to always cover over the wound with a tar sealant, is to prevent the tree from getting deep bark canker. The practice of covering over the wound with a tree sealant today is looked down upon by most people but for not all of the right reasons as far as I am concerned. Using a tree sealant is totally optional for you Phil with your tree. Had the inner portion of the bark had a central ring become a brownish color and mushy to the touch due to the deterioration and rotting of the wood, we would have a real problem on our hands but I saw no indication of it from the leaves. An outer discolored ring is what I expected in the pruned stump photo. I'd still have a professional come in and look and evaluate this tree unless you feel comfortable doing everything yourself. The best time to paint the bark and limbs is in the Winter when you have enough warmth or sunlight for the paint to dry. Don't paint or apply a fungicide in freezing weather. Now is a good time to work on the bark wounds and injuries though to clean them up. Save any real pruning for when this tree is dormant. Best regards, Jim
First, thank you Ron B for the useful URL: a neat short summary. Second, thank you Jim for another lucid contribution, the most valuable part of which is your advice to contact an expert before making matters worse myself. I am indeed a "seedling" when it comes to things like this. Best regards - Phil