A black jelly like fungus has recently formed on the trunk of our cherry tree. what is it and how do I control it
Can you provide a photo of the entire tree? I would like to see what the leaves look like. Have you had a specialist out to look at your tree in its current condition? How long has the gummosis (what you call the black jelly like substance) been present? Did you see this same type condition in previous years? Where the skin has been cut away or peeled off to yield the bark, can you tell us how long that has been there and did you do it or did something else cause it to become so exposed? At first the condition seems obvious but without the flecking in the bark I suspect a secondary invader has come in and has taken up home in the slits in the bark. I assume this is a Sweet Cherry. If not then tell me what it is, as it will matter. Can you scrape off one of the sections that are black and show me what the bark looks like from underneath the area that had been scraped off. Can you show me a photo of this tree at ground level as I'd like to see what the graft union looks like if there is one. Has this tree been prone to send out suckers from the rootstock in the past? Also, what is the clear plastic like substance doing along the base of this tree? If the wrap was meant to be a bark protectant it should have come off a while ago. Jim
I may be wrong but in my experience...all fruit trees do that when they arent pruned properly. but that I mean that the tree should be opened up so as to let the sunlight penetrate the foliage completely. fruit trees that have to much leaves and not enough sun inside tend to be subject to insects and diseases. I would clean it up and treat it and then make sure it is pruned properly so it stays healthy.
Whatever the weird black stuff is, which looks like something one sees at the beach (gummosis is usually a clear or amber ooze that runs down the trunk vertically or remains in small, rounded blobs) the clear pastic wrapped around the bottom of the trunk can't be helping anything.
I think the plastic stuff is for tent worms -- put tenderfoot on it to stop the catapiller from climbing the tree ... but yea, it probably isn't good as it likely retaining a moist environment for fungus ... and since the plant has something. The trunk looks kind of mishapened like something has been going on for awhile -- could it be black knot fungus?
I would suggest against black knot but I dont recognize the beast in this instance, I am curious to see where this conversation ends up.
The fungus is probably Exidia glandulosa, aka Black Jelly Roll or Witches’ Butter. E. glandulosa usually grows on dead wood. I doubt you'll be able to get rid of it and its presence is an indication your tree is probably about to expire.
Guy's, let's see what Loretta comes back with. It is apparent we are dealing with a bacterial canker but there seems to be a fungus at work here that can also produce a canker as evidenced by the wetness and the concentric rings in the bark. I've seen a fungus come in and cover over the gummosis emanating from the open slits (wounds) from bacterial canker before. The problem will be, if I am right in which fungus it is that is covering over the gummosis, is that if left untreated this tree would be a goner within 2-3 years, perhaps sooner growing here. I can treat the trunk of the tree with some preparation and good old white oil based or if need be latex paint and give this tree a few more years of life if there is enough tree to left to work with. I need to see what the branches and the leaves looks like first to see if this tree is worth trying to save. I agree Chris, that we may be facing a hopeless situation here but if there is a chance this tree can be dealt with then I should know what to try to do for it. Jim A quick note. I am not suggesting that others do not entertain any more thoughts on this tree's condition but I will say that I will have no more involvement in this thread until I have a better idea as to what we are up against. There are some good people that have become interested in this tree so we might learn more about it later. What will concern me some is if the black gummosis is still pliable or has it become hardened almost like a solidified tar or hardened up tree sealer. I've seen it both ways but one is much harder to effectively treat than the other form is if I am right in what I am thinking this condition may be.
Thank you for your comments about my cherry tree fungus. It is a sweet cherry tree. The plastic tape was put on the tree about a week ago, it is double sided sticky tree tape purchased from Canadian Tire to control ants which I observed on the tree. The tree is about 5 years old. We had a good crop of cherries on it last year. The crack in the bark at the base of the tree occurred last year and appeares to be rehealing itself. We have removed the fungus, which came off fairly easy and have attached new pictures of the trunk of the tree, the whole tree, and a close up of the leaves. The tree was covered with flowers about a week ago, which have now fallen off. And again thank you for helpful comments. Loretta Thomson
Without going into too much detail as to what all the problems are with this tree I'll offer what I would do if the tree were mine. The first thing I would do is remove all of the gummosis emanating from the trunk. Scrape it off if need be and let those wounds dry out. Then I would come in and spray the trunk with a fungicide mixed with a borer spray of some kind. I would use a Copper sulfate spray with Ziram and either Creosote and/or Lindane added to the mix with water. If you cannot use or refuse to use a strong insecticide like Lindane then use Diazinon instead. For Pines and Spruce I've had success using Creosote as a borer suppressant. The Ziram can help dry up some of the open wounds brought about by the cankers. I would spray the trunk one day, let it dry and come back in with a second spray two days later or once the trunk has fully dried out. Then I would cover over as much of the uneven areas of the trunk as possible with a tar like tree sealant to fill in the depressed, eroded and exposed areas trying to make the trunk whole again, symmetrical, all the same shape. After the sealer has dried out and has become hardened I would use an oil based white paint and paint the whole trunk all the way up to the crotch where the lowest branch emerges from the trunk. I'd let the paint dry and then give the trunk a second coat of paint a few days later. Loretta, what you need most at this time is the white paint if you do not want to use the fungicides and the insecticide. The tree sealant is entirely optional and is the least important of the tasks mentioned above. Even if you just paint the trunk you will suppress some of the fungus and the bacterial activity and help ward off any new borer attacks. Once you have painted the trunk covering over the wet areas you will have less ant activity to worry about until this tree has fruit again. I suggest that you may want to consider hiring a professional to come in and prune your tree and pay particular attention to the lesions in the branches, they are vectors for trouble later. The lesions need to be dealt with either by pruning them out or filling in and covering them over with the white paint. I also suggest you start deep watering this tree during the late Spring and throughout the Summer. Give it a good drink of water about once a week to every 10 days to coincide with your watering system where you are once the temperatures become warm. If you have not been doing it you will want to dormant spray this tree when temperatures allow it to be done in late Winter, early Spring (do not use a dormant oil or a Volck type lime sulfur spray in freezing weather as you can burn the young twigs and perhaps some branches also). Good luck, Jim A quick note: A recommendation given by me to a homeowner will in most cases differ from one that I will give to someone in a professional capacity. I am a member in these forums as not representing anyone else other than me. I expect no one to like the Lindane part but a homeowner that still has the chemical can still use it for borers whereas I cannot recommend anyone to go out and buy Lindane, if they can, as that product was taken off the market several years ago here. The same basic scenario applies to Ziram as well as Creosote and Diazinon much more recently here. Then again, I referenced what I would do if the tree was mine and I have done it before for this same series of problems on a neighbors Bing Cherry 25 years ago and the tree was 15 years in the ground then. I can go out in my back yard and look next door and see that the tree is still alive.
