Why is my Weeping Cherry weeping sap ?

Tanya

I am in New Jersey and I recently noticed that our weeping cherry is leaking this thick, dark red, jelly-like sap from several places on the trunk and is collecting at the base. (Looks pretty alien - I was about to call Fox Mulder.) Could it be borers? A fungus? How can I treat this?
Thanks!
Tanya

Jeff Darby

Hi Tanya,
Welcome to Treeworld, I am moving your post to our Ask An Arborist forum where I think you will have a faster responce for your questions, try and post some pictures as they always help us in helping you.

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Brent Ferris

The sap usually indicates the tree is under stress, in decline, and seldom lasts longer than 1-4 years, Fruit production is usually higher; many think the tree knows it is dying and puts out more seed to propagate itself more.
The tree may be under stress from root pruning, root strangulation or a number of other problems.


The name for the oozing sap is often called resinosa.

The best "treatment" is to enjoy the tree while it lasts, and shop for a new one, and someone to remove the tree.

Tanya

Thanks for your help. I have attached some photos that may make the situation clearer. Thanks again,
Tanya

Attached Thumbnails

         

Eric Frei

The tree looks like it's planted too deep, carefully move the mulch/soil etc away from the trunk and find the root flare.

Could be borers, could also be fungal/bacterial, or a combination of both as the insect that laid the eggs which turn into borers may have brought the fungi along with it.

I found this, well written.

Treatment ... a link for you

I would not be doing any scraping or pruning on that trunk for treatment. I would careflly removed the gum and look for what is causing it. If it is a borer hole get a bit of thin wire and shove it in there, hopefully killing the borer but it's likely already gone.

I would use shelf products to spray the infected area only, and increase plant health ... do soil treatments but not fertilize.

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Tanya

Wow - that's a lot of great information. Thanks so much for all the help. My husband and I are new at this whole gardening thing...

Brent Ferris

An interesting reference for gummosis, Ekka .


Tanya - did you plant the cherry?

Tanya

Hi,
No, I didn't plant the tree. We just moved into this house in December. I think I read somewhere that weeping cherries don't live very long. So it might be nice to know when the tree was planted.
Thanks for everyone's help and input.
- Tanya

Tanya

Actually, Ekka's comment about the cherry being planted too deep is the same for our cedars. ( We had a tree in the back that was dead probably because the garden had been built up to high around it.) I have attached photos of the cedars, if this helps. Thanks again!

GreenHorn

I have evidence to support this hypothesis. We have a greengage tree that suffered years of some of the most vicious and haphazzard lop pruning I have ever seen by the hands of the previous owner. The poor thing hadn't thrown fruit in 4-5 years. There was serious rot back and some type of borers in the rotting branch stumps. A large low limb was rotting right into the trunk badly. I cut off this with little hope of it doing any good - sponge wood now! There were actually flippin earthworms up inside the trunk wood below a bad bark included V. It's a gonner unfortunately, but guess what it was doing when I decided to try to save it (futile effort).

It was throwing a few dozen plums!

Tanya

Ouch - that's terrible. I think our cherry might actually just be a flowering cherry. We'll see if we can get it through the summer! But here are the pictures of the cedars that I forgot to upload before. I think I'll just go ahead and try to dig these out as well, since a tree in the backyard seems to have already been killed by overdoing to topsoil level.

Attached Thumbnails

   

Eric Frei

Dang ... they're buried alright.

Remove soil back to the trunk flare ....

.... in my experience with grade changes it's the second year that really knocks the trees around.

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Tanya

Thanks Ekka
My primay job for the next couple of days will be to digs these poor guys out...

Brent Ferris

You are thinking of actually transplanting them? or just removing the top soil to the depth of root flare? the tree looks to be about 4-5 inch diameter, and if so, the chance of a successful transplant is very slim. But the tree cannot stay and grow where it is -- too close to the building. BTW the tree is not a cedar. WIthout a closeup of the needles, it is hard to say, but the bark strongly suggest a spruce or perhaps a larch.

Tanya

Hello!
I'm sorry; by "digging out" I just meant to uncover the trunk down to the root flare. And I don't think they can really be moved; they are quite tall.
And my husband was told that they are cedar atlases? Is there a difference between a "cedar" and a "cedar atlas"? I guess there are different types of cedars.
Alos, I don't know how old the trees are (the house was built in the 80s) not do I know when the root flare was covered up...
Thanks again to everone for their help!

Gunslinger

As mentioned it could be a tree borer. I've had the same problem with two of the same trees here in New Jersey. The first one was discovered too late and died. The second one was saved after using this product. Seems that these trees are highly susceptible to borers in this state.

http://bit.ly/po7NSi

Garry Brockley

as well as being planted too deep you may have a strangling root or its a grafted plant, please post some pictures once you have done some digging.

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Tanya

Thanks again to everyone who gave advice about my weeping cherry last time I had a problem. I did dig around the base of the tree to expose the root flare, and I sprayed the tree with Bayer Advanced 3-in-1 Insect, Disease, and Mite Control, and covered the trunk with a product called "Tree Trunk Goop" (Tree Trunk Goop from Rabbit Hill Farms). I also tried to wash away as much of the sap as possible and could not see any borer holes. However, the tree seems to have developed a new problem: there are leaves sprouting from the trunk and I think the new leaves do not look right. They don't look the same as the leaves on the branches. I have attached a few photos. The tree is also losing a lot of leaves. What with the unusually hot and very dry summer, I'm not sure if the trees should be losing leaves already. But a few in the area (northern New Jersey) already are. Is the weeping cherry sick, being invaded by another plant from inside, ....? What should we do?????
Thanks in advance for everyone's help. And please let me know if additional photos are needed.
- Tanya

Attached Thumbnails

       

Eric Frei

Juvenile leaves can be different ... it's not a grafted assy is it? Like they didn't graft the top onto a trunk of something else did they?

If it is all the same cherry tree then sprouts like that up the trunk can occur if all of a sudden additional light comes in, like a tree or something nearby is removed allowing more light. It can also be a stress response, often seen on trees after storm damage, fires etc.

So no borer holes means fungal or bacteria attack.

Oh also, if the entire trunk is covered in goop then how does gaseous exchange take place at the lenticils?

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TreeLuva

The trouble with tree problems is that you rarely get just one problem at a time. Once a tree is stressed enough that it is unable to repel the attacks of pathogens then everything attacks at once (There is some kind of larvae eating the leaves, a probable fungal infection in the trunk, possible viral pathogens affecting the new growth etc). Optimise the health of the tree and you might be able to save it without having to resort to chemicals which are just going to poison and mess up your environment. It is unlikely once the tree is in full decline that you will be able to save it in any meaningful way. IE it will be mutilated and full of noxious chemicals. Remove it, plant a new one (properly), optimise it's growing conditions, and enjoy a long lived healthy tree that is able to deal with it's natural pathogens and predators.

Tanya

Thanks to Eric and TreeLuva.
So this might be new, healthy growth? As far as I know, there is no grafting involved. We just bought the house in December, so I have no history on the tree. Anything we should do besides just keeping it well watered? I agree with TreeLuva - I prefer not to mess with chemicals...
Thanks

Brent Ferris

Take a look at the trunk, and see if is continuous, smooth bark from the ground to the branches- pic of trunk. If there is a spot where there is a ring of bark around the trunk before the branches, take another pic. It would likely be a graft. And if so, the juvenile leaves will likely be different from the top ones -- different tree(same family, different species - usually more cold hardy), If so, the lower leaves say the tree may have given up on a lot of the top, and is trying to grow from below the graft.

If you haven't removed the goop, do so at once so the tree can breathe thru the bark (lenticels).

I still believe the resinosis or gummosis is your primary indication the tree is on the way out, and once the leaves have fallen, dig out the stump and put in another tree - preferably a different family, a little ways from this one (ie not the same hole.

All the best !

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pcarborist

Flowering cherries are typically grafted. Chances are you have a Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata) grafted on a P avium or Mazzard or sweet cherry.

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Tanya

hmmm - thank for the interesting info. I cleared off all the Tree Trunk Goop.
It looks like it might actually be a graft. I'll try to get a picture posted later today if that would be helpful.
- Thanks!

Garry Brockley

yes that will cause the different look to the new leaves, as for caring for the tree Mulch, feed, water and you should get big improvements don't use nitrogen rich fertilisers though, keep them as organic as possible i.e well rotted manure or blood and bone these need to be applied all the way to and past the drip line of the tree.

take monthly pics of the tree and keep us posted as to your progress. it's all about learning every day.

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