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Tree Canker Advice: Sickly cherry tree

#1 · 4th December 2021, 1:56 pm

I'm a beginner gardener and have recently moved to a new house with lots of lovely fruit trees. However they don't seem to have ever been pruned and are all planted quite close together, two in quite a shady spot as well.

I'm gradually clearing all the ivy and brambles off them but have noticed that one tree looks very unhappy, I think it is an ornamental cherry tree but it has lots of amber like bits coming from its bark, and generally looks dark and sickly.

It's been pruned in an odd shape and has quite a large area where there is no bark. Is there any way to help this poor tree?

#2 · 5th December 2021, 9:27 am

Quote from Lee Garden Ninja on 5th December 2021, 9:27 am
Hi,
Firstly congratulations on becoming a new gardener! You have an exciting journey ahead of you as you connect with nature and provide yourself with some lovely mindfulness along the way!
It sounds like there are two issues at hand:
The fruit trees are planted too close together and poorly pruned
One of your trees is suffering from a canker
The good news is there are some solutions to at least one of these fruit tree problems!
Fixing badly pruned trees:
The good news is it is never too late to carry out some remedial pruning on fruit trees. Even the worst offenders can over a few years be pruned back into a healthier more productive shape.
https://youtu.be/jQUHwhhOPKM
With any fruit tree, the aim is for an open structure referred to as the open goblet. If you think of the outstretched palm of your hand with fingers equally spaced this is a good way to remember this structure.
Removing any of the following is the first step: dead, diseased or damaged branches. Then you can move on to creating the open goblet.
In really badly pruned trees you may want to stagger this over 2-3 years, pruning each winter to create the structure. You will potentially lose fruit in the process but since they are in a poor way anyway they are not going to be productive to begin with. You can save these cuttings to use as firewood or add them to your bug hotels.
Below are two pruning videos to help show you the above.
https://youtu.be/Fkh47o_764g
https://youtu.be/e5TVnZ6gSnM
Why is my tree oozing amber liquid?
Sadly the ooze you describe is more than likely a canker which is a disease that trees can suffer from especially if damaged or poorly pruned. Cherry trees are usually susceptible to cankers.
What are tree cankers?
Tree cankers are swollen or blistered areas of tree bark that can ooze liquid or amber goo. You can spot them due to discolouration or wounds on tree trunks.
They are usually caused by damaged bark which allows fungus inside and under the bark that then coloniszes and eats away at the tree tissue causing further open wounds.
Cankers then usually allow the fast spread of bacteria that further eats away at the tree causing it to ooze and drip. There are various forms of tree cankers but all of them will eventually kill a tree if left untreated as they spread.
Treating Tree Cankers:
You can attempt to cut away the damaged material with a clean sharp blade or tree saw. Though you need to make sure you don't spread the ooze elsewhere on the tree. Even dipping the blade in a bleach and water solution after each cut to prevent cross-contamination.
I've successfully done this on a number of occasions. Take your time.
The alternative in bad tree cankers is to fell the tree, ie cut it all the way down and then burn the cuttings as not to contaminate other trees. Cankers can spread with wind and rain splash you see. Sometimes removing one tree can save a number of others from becoming infected.
Hopefully, this helps you to salvage your garden trees!
Good Luck!

Hi,

Firstly congratulations on becoming a new gardener! You have an exciting journey ahead of you as you connect with nature and provide yourself with some lovely mindfulness along the way!

It sounds like there are two issues at hand:

The fruit trees are planted too close together and poorly pruned
One of your trees is suffering from a canker

The good news is there are some solutions to at least one of these fruit tree problems!

Fixing badly pruned trees:

The good news is it is never too late to carry out some remedial pruning on fruit trees. Even the worst offenders can over a few years be pruned back into a healthier more productive shape.

With any fruit tree, the aim is for an open structure referred to as the open goblet. If you think of the outstretched palm of your hand with fingers equally spaced this is a good way to remember this structure.

Removing any of the following is the first step: dead, diseased or damaged branches. Then you can move on to creating the open goblet.

In really badly pruned trees you may want to stagger this over 2-3 years, pruning each winter to create the structure. You will potentially lose fruit in the process but since they are in a poor way anyway they are not going to be productive to begin with. You can save these cuttings to use as firewood or add them to your bug hotels.

Below are two pruning videos to help show you the above.

Why is my tree oozing amber liquid?

Sadly the ooze you describe is more than likely a canker which is a disease that trees can suffer from especially if damaged or poorly pruned. Cherry trees are usually susceptible to cankers.

What are tree cankers?

Tree cankers are swollen or blistered areas of tree bark that can ooze liquid or amber goo. You can spot them due to discolouration or wounds on tree trunks.

They are usually caused by damaged bark which allows fungus inside and under the bark that then coloniszes and eats away at the tree tissue causing further open wounds.

Cankers then usually allow the fast spread of bacteria that further eats away at the tree causing it to ooze and drip. There are various forms of tree cankers but all of them will eventually kill a tree if left untreated as they spread.

Treating Tree Cankers:

You can attempt to cut away the damaged material with a clean sharp blade or tree saw. Though you need to make sure you don't spread the ooze elsewhere on the tree. Even dipping the blade in a bleach and water solution after each cut to prevent cross-contamination.

I've successfully done this on a number of occasions. Take your time.

The alternative in bad tree cankers is to fell the tree, ie cut it all the way down and then burn the cuttings as not to contaminate other trees. Cankers can spread with wind and rain splash you see. Sometimes removing one tree can save a number of others from becoming infected.

Hopefully, this helps you to salvage your garden trees!

Good Luck!

#3 · 22nd December 2021, 6:50 pm

Thank you so much for your reply and video links ☺️

Sounds like the cherry tree may have to go but at least I know there is hope for the others ???

Lee Garden Ninja has reacted to this post.