AusBonsai

Gday Guys,
I dug a big Japanese Maple from a suburban garden a few months back. It was defoliated and potted and now has hundreds of new shoots all over the tree. But in the last month or so, with all of our hot weather, I noticed some black, sap bleeding out of the lower part of the trunk. A week or two later, these areas that were bleeding now have a white fungus growing out from the trunk.

Anyone out there have any idea of what this might be and whether or not it is dangerous to the health of the tree?

Thanks

This dosnt sound too good. The tree may have been infected with a fungus attacking the wood inside, but without a picture its hard to know whats going on and what should be done.

Thanks for the reply Red Pine.... I'll take photos tomorrow morning and post them

Ok, some further info and photos. The tree was dug in Spring and the tree had leafed out completely but chopped to a bare trunk just before digging. It was completely bare-rooted and removed with very few roots. It had a scar from a boring insect (one that digs holes rather than the unexciting kind)

It was potted in a cheap bag of supermarket quality potting mix and left in a very exposed position. Consequently, when the hot and dry weather came through, it got sunburnt. Unsure as to whether this was in the tree before or after the sunburn, but it seems to have a fissure running down the drunk and it is out of this fissure that the white fungus seems to be growing.

Anyway, if anyone has any idea of what the tree might be suffering from, I would love to know

Thanks

It looks like powdery Mildew has formed on the sap coming out but it matters not. What you probably need to do right about now is treat it with lime sulpher at regular intervals

Very nice stump! Hope it comes good for ya.

I have privet here that had wsomethig similar
One side and trunk had died off and it always grew some fungus on that portion only, the Live parts never got it.
the tree never looked like it suffered and only tended to happen when it was quite humid weather.

if it on the dead sections then maybe Lime sulphur as bodhi suggests, or maybe a fungicide

Ken

Hi,

These white blobs are sporing bodies, or fruits, of a fungus growing under the bark. The fissure is dead bark that has shrunk and cracked. The fungus is in the wood underneath. The only way to stop it is to cut it out of the wood. Treat the wood with a preservative, wood hardener if you have removed all of it, lime sulfur if uncertain.

Paul

Thanks a lot for those who have given me advice on this so far... I really appreciate your input. Anyone else out there had this happen to them?

Well, A year and a half on and the fungus has taken all but a strip of live tissue about 4-5am in width. A real shame considering how big and powerful this trunk was. Today I stripped the dead bark from it and found exactly where the live vein was.
Tomorrow I plan on painting the trunk with pure lime sulphur to kill off any fungus growing on it and will also use sealant to seal off the areas where I've nicked the live tissue to prevent it from getting infected.
A question about lime sulphur... Do I need to wait for the wood to be completely dry before I do it or is it ok to apply it to moist wood?

Thanks guys

You can use Lime sulphur as a Diluted spray all over the tree to act as a Fungicide, rather than as quite strong mix to whiten the dead wood.
I have never done so myself, so unsure of the concentration to use. Chech to instructions on the bottle and it should tell you

Ken

Please do an update. On the photo when the work is done

Will do... A bit rainy today so I wont paint today due to the risk of leaching into the soil. Will definitely update soon