Peach Tree Fungus - Ask Extension
Hello, last year in early spring, my peach tree had a large amount of small peaches developing. Within a few days, a tar-like substance took over the...
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Peach Tree Fungus #788337
Asked April 28, 2022, 9:45 AM EDT
Hello, last year in early spring, my peach tree had a large amount of small peaches developing. Within a few days, a tar-like substance took over the tree and all of the peaches died off. I've added current pictures of the tree with damage shown, however the gooey substance is not present. Is there anything I can do to save this tree?
Thank you.
Macomb County Michigan
Expert Response
Hello Donna,
It appears your peach tree may have gummosis - prolific oozing of sap. Many stone fruit trees are sensitive to injury, and this can result in sap leaking from the trunk in the spring. From your image, your sap appears dry now. This can be caused by different biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) factors - Chemicals, insects, disease, growing conditions, or wounding damage.
To help identify which factor is contributing to the gummosis, it is best to rule out the most destructive first. Insects will leave exit holes and frass (similar to sawdust, but very finely ground). If insects are causing the gummosis, the exit holes and frass will be visible beneath the sap. This is hard to do with the images you provided.
May I suggest you do an up-close inspection of the trunk to ensure that insects are not to blame? (If you see something but you're unsure, send an image of what you see - Please include that with the other images to the MSU Plant & Pest Diagnostics as I mentioned below)
Also, if you've treated the area around the trunk with a chemical herbicide, this could have made the gummosis worse, as it is easily absorbed through the trunk. It is also important to consider how the tree is being watered. If you have a sprinkler system that is putting water on the trunk, this can lead to damage and eventually gummosis. Make sure the tree is only being watered around the base.
Pathogens can also be to blame. When a tree is stressed from previous reasons, it is more susceptible to disease infection.
Because of all the factors centered around peach gummosis I highly recommend you get a confirmed diagnosis from the MSU Plant & Pest Diagnostics lab
MSU Plant & Pest Diagnostics is no longer accepting walk-in consultations at this time. They are open for business for all samples that are dropped off or mailed to the lab. When submitting plant samples, they encourage clients to email digital images to accompany the physical samples. Images can be sent to <personal data hidden>.
I would e-mail the lab all your images as well as the insect inspection I mentioned earlier - MAKE SURE IN THAT E-MAIL YOU INCLUDE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND PHONE NUMBER!!
THE LAB WILL LET YOU KNOW IF A SAMPLE NEEDS TO BE SENT - There is a $20-25 dollar fee (if they need a sample sent).
PLEASE READ BELOW ON PREPARING YOUR SAMPLE
From the lab: Please do not ship samples on Fridays. Due to the current COVID-19 circumstances, please allow additional processing time. They thank you for your patience and understanding.
Every sample must be accompanied by a completed submission form. Please place the form in a separate resealable bag to prevent it from getting damp or soiled.
The form is at this link:
https://www.canr.msu.edu/pestid/uploads/files/MSU-DS-Form-012-001-version6.0.pdf
Complete details of submitting a sample are at this link: https://www.canr.msu.edu/pestid/submit-samples/
Hope this helps - Please let me know if you have any other questions - Thanks!!
