i got a bare root grafted plum tree, a whip with a trunk diameter less than 1/2 inch, that i planted in the ground in the spring and cut it to about 2 feet because i want to keep it small. it was growing fine then just recently i noticed what looks like crown gall (about the size of a nickel) followed by gummosis, so i read that you can either remove the gall or remove/destroy the tree, i went with cutting off the gall and applying neem oil but it is still oozing sap from the site. any advice from those who have successfully treated gall and gummosis?
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A picture would help to better advise you.
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I can’t tell for sure, maybe others can weigh in, but It looks like it might be black knot. Common problem. Very hard to defeat but not usually deadly to the tree in the short or medium term. Lots of growers just deal with knots by cutting them out when they appear and maybe spraying with Daconil. Unfortunately, the trunk is probably the worst place to have it because it will come back it that same spot. Some good news, though, is if you just keep cutting it out every year it very well could be ok. I have a Rosy Gage plum that had it bad on the trunk and I kept cutting it out and spraying with Daconil and now it is my biggest most productive tree even though I still battle it.
Edit–> I see you’re in Florida. Black Knot is probably very difficult to control there. The AU series of plum would probably be your best bet if you wanted to replace it. They were bred for disease resistance.
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thanks for your advice. it’s hard to tell from the pic because of the shadow but the gall is (was) brown, it wasn’t black knot. i don’t want to use chemicals, i am hoping it heals itself and/or i will try the neem oil again. i wasn’t sure which plums would do well for north Florida, first time growing them, i planted a stanley (pictured), santa rosa and chickasaw vareties.
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