Preventing damage and stress to a tree’s roots and stem is the best way to avoid a serious problem.ĭrought conditions increase Slime Flux problems, so it is important that the tree receives adequate water, especially during spring and summer months. How can Slime Flux be managed once your tree is infected? The Colorado State Cooperative Extension says that no effective methods exist to eliminate Slime Flux disease. Wetwood also may occur in seedlings that develop from infected seeds or from infected parent material in vegetatively propagated plants.” Where oozing occurs, the bacteria could be transferred to a new stem or branch wounds. html, the “bacteria associated with Wetwood are common in soil and water and probably enter trees through root wounds. So why does Slime Flux occur? How does the bacteria get in? According to the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension’s website. On this particular mulberry tree, the flux had a number of visitors including green fruit beetles, ants, a number of small beetles, flies and bugs, plus a praying mantis taking advantage of the situation by making a meal of the insect visitors. Bacteria and yeasts in the “flux” cause an offensive odor that attracts insects. This pressure forces sap out of the trunks through cracks, crotches and wounds. Kenneth Horst, the pressure in Slime Fluxinfected trees increases from April to August or September and is caused by the fermentation of tissues by bacteria (Erwinia nimipressuralis). This tree did not recover and had to be removed.Īccording to “Westcott’s Plant DiseasesHandbook” by R. The pressure inside the tree was so great that a couple of spots high on the trunk had sap bubbling out like foam and it could be heard from several feet away. On this particular Mulberry tree, there was an active infection where an abundance of sap was flowing from numerous crevices on the tree, completely down the trunk and onto the ground. I stepped outside to see what was happening to the tree and discovered an extreme case of Slime Flux. The signs included a dark stained appearance of the bark starting at a branch crotch, crack or wound and continuing down the trunk to the ground.ĭuring a drought episode a few years ago, a co-worker at the Daily Press asked me what was wrong with the fruitless Mulberry tree outside of the office area - one of the few outdoor shady spots where employees could enjoy taking a quick break. Most cases of Slime Flux that I have seen were after the actual “fluxing” had taken place. The infection can prevent or retard the healing of wounds by destroying the cambium at the base of a pruning cut.įoliage, young shoots and grass can die if Slime Flux drips on them. Slime Flux is toxic to the cambium, which is the tissue between the inner bark and the wood that produces new cells. Slime Flux, also known as Wetwood, is caused by a bacterial infection in the trunk wood of elms, maple, oak, mulberry, ash, cottonwood, poplar, willow and many others. One such problem is Slime Flux, which can be a problem on many common landscape trees, especially those that can more easily suffer drought stress. With the ongoing drought, there are a number of issues to watch out for when it comes to our landscape plants.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |