We have a kwanza cherry tree that continues to be attacked by what looks like fungus. I have attached some photos for your perusal. It actually killed off part of the tree, as you can see. I think it all started when it was pruned incorrectly some years ago. In any event, any recomendations what I can do? I live in Pa and I refuse to give up on this tree. I treated it with some tree pruning spray which seemed to do ok for while. I even went so far as to scrape off all of the fungus, sprayed the tree and it still came back. I suppose it requires a fungicide, but since I don't know what it is I hesitate to use any. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You, Tim
Usually with Armillaria we see the mycelial mats under the bark but sometimes we can see them on top of the bark. I had an Almond tree do this years ago but for it the fungus came in later and was feeding on the deteriorating bark from a bout with Bacterial Canker. Not sure if you have Armillaria or not or whether the fungus is living on deteriorating bark. Am I to assume the bark is black due to the tree pruning spray? By the last photo we can see the amber colored gummosis attributed to Bacterial Canker, especially on the underside of the large branch. What to do is not all that complicated but may not be all that effective but then again the growth on this tree looks pretty good so we have a shot at helping some. First order of business is quit using a tree pruning spray. We use to use it on cuts that we expected to heal fast just to lightly cover over a cut or applied to keep pathogens away from and out of an open wound from cuts that have a tendency to bleed. I'd scrape off all of the white colored fungus and then I'd get a Copper sulfate spray and spray this tree from head to toe allowing for a good drench of the trunk of this tree where the top of the fungus is showing all the way down to the ground. You need to mark where the fungus is at its highest point and on the limbs it is also on as you should get some white latex paint and about 2 days after the fungicide spray go in and paint the trunk and the branch areas that has the fungus of this tree liberally giving it a thorough coating. Wait for the paint to dry and give it a second coat. What the paint does is keep the fungus at bay, gives it no where to go if the fungus is originating from the interior of the tree outward. If the fungus is indeed living off the slits in the bark due to Bacterial Canker damage then we just prevented it from feeding on this tree for a while. If the fungus comes right back then we have a problem as it means your tree will not be around in a couple of years, that the subsequent deterioration of the wood is too far gone. Also, by covering over the tree with the paint we limit the amount of gummosis we will see in the trunk and side branches until later when the weather cools. Good luck, Jim
