sick chinese elm

[TimZ8]

My chinese elm has a yellow/white foam oozing out in three spots. The bark is wet looking even though it has not been watered. Can anyone confirm the illness and tell me how to treat. I've never seen this before. It had some ants so I did a quick repot without cutting any roots. I did spray the roots with water to clean them.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Tim

 

[painter]

could it be bird poop?

 

[John Ruger]

I can't tell from the photo, but did you do any cutting near the spots where the symtoms originate?

 

[Mac In Oak Ridge]

I think you got sap oozing out of a wound. Now what made the wound? Did you cut a branch off there this spring? Is there a little round hole someplace that a borer made? Could be a natural crack from growth. I'd be spraying some kind of bug killer that takes out borers, just for insurance.

 

[rockm]

Might be borers if there is a hole near the ooze. Sprays will not take out borers inside the trunk. You gotta dig them out, or fumigate the little beggars...

Elms will sometimes bleed after pruning, especially after a rain. The sap can look like chewing gum and have the same constency. I don't think this is sap, though...

 

[TimZ8]

Thanks guys, It's a disease called wetwood or slime flux. It comes from a wound, maybe borers. I don't think there is anything that can be done but hope and pray...

 

[rockm]

Borers inside the trunk can sometimes be killed by stuffing cotton soaked in insecticide into the top of the hole and left for a couple of days...

 

[John Ruger]

If it's wetwood, then it's a bacteria. You may want to make sure that the tree is kept in as good a health as possible; mainly feed and water it well. It doesn't necessarily mean the deimise of the tree, so trying to maintain good fertilizer practices can be of help. Does the discharge emit a foul odor?

 

[TimZ8]

If it's wetwood, then it's a bacteria. You may want to make sure that the tree is kept in as good a health as possible; mainly feed and water it well. It doesn't necessarily mean the deimise of the tree, so trying to maintain good fertilizer practices can be of help. Does the discharge emit a foul odor?

The discharge does smell bad...

 

[John Ruger]

Yeah, then it's a bacteria. Feed the tree well, water it well, and what you want to do is start applying a good insecticide. You see, insects (more than likely) spread the bacteria, what you want to remember is that it may be really difficult to erradicate. Keep it under control by maintaining the tree's health. During the dormant season you will need to continue with pest control since the insects that carry the bacteria will go dormant as well, so maintain your pest control.

Let us know how things progress and good luck with it.