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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] lime sulfur(apricot tree rescue)

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  • From: "tanis cuff" <tanistanis@hotmail.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] lime sulfur(apricot tree rescue)
  • Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2006 19:13:05 +0000

Arboriculture answer, rather than an apricot-grower's: this probably won't save your tree. It is too difficult to remove all the infection, maybe impossible. And you will do lots of physical damage to the tree.

But if you are sure to lose the tree w/o intervention, then why not? To call it a comprehensive research project, take pieces of the infected bark & wood to a disease-testing lab. First get info from them on the best way to do this. Then you can say "Tree had these infections, and I did these procedures, and tree recovered/ died." Let us know.


----Original Message Follows----
From: mauch1
Reply-To: North American Fruit Explorers <>
To: nafex@
Subject: [NAFEX] lime sulfur
Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2006 15:02:45 -0400

I have a similar problem with an apricot tree. The tree is about 4-5 inches in diamter, and the visible fungi has spread to about half the trunk diameter and extends from the ground into where the tree begins branching.

Observation. I too have the white fungi, though mine looks more like shelf fungi. I believe they only came after the bark/tissue was already dead. I believe the problem started when the tree received winter damage from cracking bark (warm sun followed by freezing temperatures). The bark began to ooze. I call this 'gummosis', but I believe this was only a symptom not the cause. Possibly a bacterial infection?

What I'm planning to do. I kept expecting the tree to die, but its been going on for 3 years like this, with the dead area gradually widening. I think the healthy remaining tissue cannot recover as the moist/dead tissue is continuing to infect the healthy tissue, and the dead tissue blocks the regrowth. So unless someone has a convincing anti-argument, I'm going to remove the diseased dead tissue/bark with a chisel.

This should allow the wood underneath to dry out and not remain a source of fungi. The healthy tissue (theoretically), should be able to grow back over. Thoughts are welcome.

Chris Mauchline
SE PA, zone 6
40° 5' N 75° 51'W
~650 ft elevation






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