Dead Plum Tree???
lynn_r_81233
Posts: 2
we just moved into our home 1 year ago. our plum tree this time last year yielded lovely plums. (right as we were moving in) Then it started dying. now July 25th, a year later, all the leaves are browning, falling. i think its dead. i have pics. help!
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oh i forgot to mention it now has many sap or amber knobs growing on it. looks like the sap anyways, it is falling down in dribbles, and appears to be big globs of it. Lots of ants climbing on this sap... we also had a new lawn service, TruGreen, come out a month ago and spray right at the base of that same tree, stuff to make brown grass green again.. where my dogs love to urinate right under that tree. Those places the grass had turned brown, is where the trugreen guy sprayed nitrogen (i think it was) right at the base of the plum tree and all under the plum tree. additionally my husband cut one of the main branches off earlier this spring due to it being dead. it looked really lopsided and bad. ill add pics in a minute....
Last edited: 25 July 2017 15:06:03
Brown leaves do not necessarily mean death for your tree. It definitely is stressed, so leaves shed. I can't comment too much on what is going on as there seems to be a mixture of some kind of canker that may have caused what you have described, and maybe aphids that have serverely weakened your tree. Could be a combination of two. Your tree will not produce if it's suffering.
I can't see the size and shape of it, but it's hard to not mention spores on very congested branches. Poor drainage to the root areas also weakens the tree. Unfortunately we are getting very diverse weather in the last few years and damp and humid conditions can creat problems on these trees.
Think about thinning branches out to allow air and sun under the canopy. Tackle aphids early when you see them. You could start with this to see how next year turns out.
Last edited: 25 July 2017 18:42:40