We had 2 freezes last week 18 and 22 and today I found this at the base of the peach tree today.
It is very jelly like and coming out of the ground, you can see some coming out of the trunk a little higher up.
Anyone know what's going on, is this trouble for the tree?
The tree was planted, along with 5 other different trees, 6 weeks ago.
WOW! Looks like sap! But what would cause that? Sure hope an expert comes in here! This is one of the few odd things that has NOT yet happened to my peach tree!
It's not hard as sap may be but very soft and spongy
Peach tree borer. http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/fruit/borers/peachtree_borer.htm
You nailed it Farmerdill, and it looks bad to me :
"The adult female peachtree borer lays between 400 and 900 eggs on the trunk at the soil-line, or on weeds and surrounding litter around the base of the trunk. Peachtree borers have an extremely high rate of fertility, and about 97% to 100% of peachtree borer eggs hatch."
From what I read I should cut into the bark, at the root line and remove what lava I find, is that what you would do ? I also will contact the local nursery tomorrow and see what they say. This is the only stone fruit tree I bought, the others are apple and pear.
About the only option other than chemicals. I have peach trees but they are very high maintenance between pruning, thinning and virtually a year round spray schedule.
Years ago I had the same and the extension agent said it would die. He recommended some heavy chemical preventive for my others. I read somewhere to put a bar of Lava soap in the crotch as a preventive so I got a big bar and cut it in 3 chunks placing one in each of my 3 trees. I figured it was too late to save the one that was pouring the jelly.
Well it lived and turned out to be the most productive one. I don't know for sure but those chunks of Lava lasted about 3 years and I need to replace them just in case they are the fix. I never resorted to the chemicals. Supposedly the Lava weeps down the trunk and into the soil with every rain and repels the devils.
I once had a hole and jelly on a young peach tree once.... at ground level. I poked a wire in the hole and squirted lime/sulfur in the hole. It did great after that.
I should have noted above that my trees are plums. Plums are susceptible to all the same problems as peaches. A vendor at the farmer's market told me years ago that plums would be far less trouble if you could keep them away from peaches. Nobody anywhere around here has peaches and I have wonderful plums without spraying. I bought a house in an Atlanta suburb back in the 70s that had 3 peach trees. I never once got a decent peach and I will buy them rather than go to all the trouble.
Thanks for all the info, I only have the one peach and the others are apple and pear, so I don't think I'll be growing peaches.
I bought a bushel this fall at the farmers market and made jelly and jam, guess I'll do the same next year. Or maybe I should stick with tomatoes ^_^
