Dying plum tree

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Campo Steve
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Dying plum tree

Postby Campo Steve » Sun Mar 16, 2014 7:36 pm

We have a plum tree. It was here when we bought the house and for the first three years gave a great crop.

Now there are no live buds and the trunk and some branches look as though they are splitting and they are oozing a sticky liquid. I have looked at various web sites and come up with two possibilities. Canker or boring insects. I don't know how to identify canker and can see no holes where insects have bored in. It does look as though ants have been living under it.

It is close to a pear tree, an apple tree and a lime tree. If it is canker or insects, could it affect these other trees? It doesn't appear to have affected them yet. Should I play safe and cut it down?
Last edited by Campo Steve on Sun Mar 16, 2014 8:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dieing plum tree

Postby Mowser » Sun Mar 16, 2014 7:45 pm

Dieing???
Dave

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Campo Steve
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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby Campo Steve » Sun Mar 16, 2014 8:31 pm

OK. Dying. Edited.
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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby Mariacristina » Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:31 pm

Your description makes me wonder if your tree may be affected by Honey Fungus.

Look in the internet for a more precise description of the signs of this. There is a lot of this affecting the wild almonds in our area and it affects cherry and plum trees. Can you post a photograph of the affected bits?

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Campo Steve
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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby Campo Steve » Sun Mar 16, 2014 9:49 pm

Thanks Mariacristina. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow. I have had a look at the RHS web site and the tree only shows one of the symptoms, but maybe it only needs one. If it is then I'll need to get all the root system up. The chickens will love that as it is close to their run so roots probably go in there.
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Campo Steve
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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby Campo Steve » Mon Mar 17, 2014 8:27 am

I don't know if this will work as it is my first time using Dropbox. If it works, here are three, not very good, pictures of the affected tree.

http://tinyurl.com/okaymsj
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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby Martin Page » Mon Mar 17, 2014 10:48 am

To me it just looks like its had a bit too much water .. I too have plum trees and they are still dormant, but the sap is rising and causing the trunk and branches to split and ooze rosin ... that's normal at this time of the year

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Campo Steve
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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby Campo Steve » Mon Mar 17, 2014 11:21 am

Thanks Martin. I'll leave it alone for now and see how it goes. Cheers
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Campo Steve
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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby Campo Steve » Tue Apr 01, 2014 8:03 pm

Not looking good. No sign of any buds and it seems very dry, apart from where sap is oozing out. More worrying is that some of the branches now do have lots of tiny holes and some on the trunk. Woodworm? The apple tree close by is budding fine and the pear tree, also close by is in full blossom. Further down the garden a one year old cherry tree has plenty of buds which are starting to open. Unfortunately, in previous years we have done more with the plums than any other fruit.

Anyway, with what looks like woodworm, I think I might have to take the saw to it.
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jhonie99
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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby jhonie99 » Wed Apr 02, 2014 8:09 am

I'd leave it alone for now.

Our plum tree only came back to life last week, the last tree to do so. We live in Canaries. Give it more time.

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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby Gasman » Wed Apr 02, 2014 11:17 am

It seems that plum trees are particularly liable to attack from various nasties locally ... the chief ones are a bore-ing bug - a sort of moth I think which lays its eggs, the larvae of which then bore into the trunk, go down inside the tree, and then form grubs that over-winter in the soil around the tree ... like I said nasty!! So as the tree dies and dries out, you see the bore-holes in the branches/trunk, and the amber-like oozing from the wounds letting the sap out before it shuts off in that part of the tree. Trees may survive for a couple of years, but go steadily downhill and eventually give up and die. This is one reason that the locals rotavate round their orchard trees to upset the bugs in the ground (not just this one but various sap-sucking and bore-ing type bugs) and spray against the flying bugs during the season. However it does seem that plum trees are noted for this problem :thumbdown: and you can expect to have to replace them every 7-10 years or so!!
Another check is to put your foot on the trunk of the tree and give it a shove - excessive movement means that the roots are weakened, and you may even find that it snaps off and you find that the base of the trunk, just under the surface of the soil has actually rotted away ... :cry:

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Campo Steve
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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby Campo Steve » Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:15 am

Tried pushing the tree and it did feel pretty weak at the base. Bit the bullet and decided it has to go.

Cut off all the branches and gave the trunk a good push and, sure enough, as you suggested Gasman, the base was rotten and it snapped off.

It also exposed an ant nest around the base. Could they be the cause of its demise?

Going to plant a new plum tree, well away from where the old one was. Any suggestions as to the best variety for Southern Spain?
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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby Martin Page » Mon Apr 07, 2014 12:56 pm

Yes ... ants can be a right pain to all plants if the colonise there root ball

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Re: Dying plum tree

Postby oliveview01 » Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:41 pm

We lost 3 plum trees, the last one we dug up had huge great bugs in the base, the body was weird, our neighbour said they were very dangerous to plum trees. Not far from us there was a field with about 100 plum trees on, victoria type plums and yellow plums, the trees started to die a year or so ago, this spring every tree was pulled up, shame the plums were delicious. The farmer said to us it was a moth that caused all the trees to die. We have 1 plum tree left, wonder if it will give a decent crop this year? Normally bugs get to them before us!


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