Question
Our Japanese Plum Tree (seeds from Barcelona, Spain - about 6 years old) appears to be dying. Noted black substance on trunk at ground level. Leaves are wilting - in the middle east they are called escadania -  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Hi Nancy,  That black substance is borers in the tree.  I have found by getting a sewing needle and poking it into the hole where the substance is coming out will kill the borer.  The other choice is poison.  I am working with a few of my trees that the inside of the tree rotted but the tree was still alive.  One is a weeping bottle brush and the other is a mulberry.  You could actually see right through the trunk.  So I started spraying it with my Atomic Grow product and it is almost healed.  It is long term do not give up work spraying into it.  The above with the needle works as I have peach trees that get a borer and killed them that way.  Since using Atomic Grow on a monthly basis I have not seen that problem.  

Atomic Grow is organic and made from food.  It absorbs into the leaves and branches raising the brix which is sugar.  Bugs do not like sugar so they leave and find a sick tree.  www.atomicgrow.net  kathy