Gumming (Gummosis)
Non-pathogenic (physiological response to injury/stress)
33 host plants
Last updated
This profile contains verified disease data from extension databases. Regional field notes and expert review are in progress.
Gum oozes from prunus trunks and branches in response to stress, frost damage, or canker infection. Gummosis itself is not a disease but a plant response to injury and stress. Provide proper culture with steady moisture and moderate fertilizer, avoid over-fertilization, and prune out disease cankers. Healthy trees resist problems.
Manage gumming (gummosis) by breaking the disease cycle at the points you can control: remove infected tissue and debris, reduce moisture on susceptible foliage, and maintain plant health through proper watering and fertilization. Healthy, well-sited plants resist infection more effectively than stressed ones, so addressing underlying site conditions often solves the problem better than repeated chemical applications.
Quick Reference
Management
Cultural Controls
- Provide proper culture to maintain a steady growth rate.
- Avoid over-fertilization or other practices which produce large amounts of soft growth or sudden growth spurts.
- Control diseases which cause gumming.
- Prune or cut out disease cankers.
- Prevent injury to trunks and branches when possible.
- Sunscald can be prevented by shading or whitewashing trunks.