White Bracket Fungus on peach tree? - Ask Extension
Hello Ya'll, or yous guys, I need help IDing a white shelf type fungus? growing on my Red Haven peach tree, which is around 6 or 7 years old. As you c...
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White Bracket Fungus on peach tree? #614143
Asked February 20, 2020, 11:07 PM EST
Hello Ya'll, or yous guys, I need help IDing a white shelf type fungus? growing on my Red Haven peach tree, which is around 6 or 7 years old. As you can see in the pictures, there is also alot of jelly type material present. I have never seen this before this spring. I found your answer concerning white bracket fungus,,,but that seems to be flattish circle shape while mine is growing out from the bark like a shelf..or ridge, wider at the base and narrowing at the outer edge. I'm hoping that I can save it because with fighting the squirrels and late freezes...did I mention brown rot, I've only gotten 1 tree ripened peach. Thanks, TK
Garland County Arkansas
Expert Response
The photos were not of sufficient quality for me to determine if these wood rotting fungi have fruiting surfaces that are toothed, pore, or rough. This information would help in identifying the fungi. It does not resemble the common primary pathogen types, so I am assuming these are secondary fungi that prey upon trees that are already weak. Primary fungi are able to attack healthy trees.
Typically the secondary wood rotting fungi colonize wood areas of the tree weakened by winter injury, poorly healed pruning cuts, bad crotch areas. Eventually the fungi gain access to the older xylem wood in the center of limbs and trunk, and large limbs start to die off. There's not anything you can do at this point. Careful training of new tree in the first few years of establishment helps to prevent poor crotch angles, and helps eliminate the need for large pruning cuts which attract these fungi. The jelly material is produced by stone fruit trees with damaged limbs and trunks.
Typically the secondary wood rotting fungi colonize wood areas of the tree weakened by winter injury, poorly healed pruning cuts, bad crotch areas. Eventually the fungi gain access to the older xylem wood in the center of limbs and trunk, and large limbs start to die off. There's not anything you can do at this point. Careful training of new tree in the first few years of establishment helps to prevent poor crotch angles, and helps eliminate the need for large pruning cuts which attract these fungi. The jelly material is produced by stone fruit trees with damaged limbs and trunks.
Thank you for your response. I thought I would try again with closeups before removing the tree.
If I need to remove the tree which is in my small yard and the only place with adequate sunshine... In order to plant a new tree, do I need to treat the soil with chemical or heat sterilization? Thanks again for your help.
Thanks, much better pictures. Looks like a tooth-type fungi, so called flat toothed fungi. There are many wood rotting fungi in this group that form patch-like fruit bodies on weakened wood of many tree types.
Again, the fungus is not the primary cause of the tree decline. It's like pneumonia for an older person--the weakened immune system allows the secondary organism to take hold and further weaken them.
Do what you can to remove as much of the wood of the old tree during the preparation of the site for the new tree. You may have to dig down 2 or 3 feet to do this. If you can move 3 to 5 feet over for the new planting site this will help quite a bit.
