Question
QUESTION: I read your reply to Carol from Oklahoma about her mimosa tree which oozed white slime that you called wetwood. You said it doesn't kill the tree?  There is no cure, but what to do about it . . . anything?  I just noticed my mimosa doing the same thing but not as much. I sprayed it down with water to get rid of the slime and flies.  Can I use a fungicide or something as it starting to loose foliage. It was fine a few days ago. This tree,when young, was stuck inside a chain link fence and it grew around the fence. I instructed my neighbor not to cut it as the tree was mine and thier fence was 3ft on my property. That was 3 yrs ago. I cut the fence off and sprayed it with spectracide. Should I re-spray it. I do see activity where the fence injured it. Bark flaking and such.  I do not want the tree to die if I can save it. I have had other mimosas on my property that didn't grow as big and then suddenly they seem to die for no reason that I know of. This mimosa was so big and beautiful and smelled so nice . . . and it was a gift from mother nature,  I'd hate to lose it, too. I first had the pleasure of the mimosa's aroma from the house my sister bought it the early seventies, and her beautiful tree died suddenly as well about 13yr after she bought the house. What's their life span?  Thanks for any help.

PS  Should I prune off the limbs that seem to be dying?

ANSWER: The difference is with wetwood or slime flux the foliage is not effected BUT with mimosa wilt the oozing is there but the foliage is dying.
I am sorry to say this sounds like a disease that is fatal to mimosa. It could be one of two things--Slime flux or mimosa wilt. Slime flux or wetwood oozes froth from the trunk and is caused by a bacteria in the wood generating pressure and the foliage looks healthy and green. Mimosa wilt is caused by a fungus  Fusarium oxysporium var. perniciosum. The oozing is on the trunk or the limbs and the foliage is dying due to the root system being infected.

Mimosa wilt is the most devastating disease of mimosa. In many areas it has almost eliminated ornamental mimosas. The disease can be found from Maryland to Florida and west to Texas.

Symptoms include chlorotic and wilting foliage. Discoloration of the outer ring of sapwood usually occurs, and trees may die within 6 weeks after becoming infected.

The organism survives in soil and enters through the tree roots. While the specific mode of action of this fungus is not known, the effect is to disrupt the upward movement of nutrients and water.

There is no control for the disease. watering and fertilizer (10-10-10) sometimes helps if caught early enough. If the symptoms continue (dying foliage ) to keep the wilt from spreading to other mimosa trees in the area this tree should be removed and destroyed.
Sorry!


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QUESTION: It's sad to know I will lose this tree, but I have a three foot mimosa growing near my walkway that I don't want there, and every time I try to move a young mimosa (even smaller than this one) they die. What is the best way to transplant this young tree. When? . . . or  should I just allow it to remain where it is, because if that's the only way for it to thrive, then like the Beatles say, I'll just "Let It BE,"  LOL.

Thanks for you help

Tim

Answer
If it is near the driveway I would move it (the flowers of mimosa will stain the paint of a automobile).
Deciduous plants may be moved in the spring as soon as the frost is out of the ground, up until the time when new foliage is partly unfurled. When you want to dig up a tree or shrub for transplanting, retain as much of the root system as possible.

Deciduous trees  can be successfully moved only if a ball of soil is left around the roots. The exposed roots should be protected with moist burlap or newspaper or with polyethylene sheeting. Every effort should be made to reduce root exposure to wind and sun, keeping the ball as moist as possible. It's best to prepare the hole before digging up the tree you wish to move.

Size of the root ball and size of the hole:

For deciduous trees and shrubs the soil ball should be:

Width = 9-12 in. in diameter/every 1 in. of tree diameter
Depth = 6 in./every 1 in. of tree diameter

For example: A tree trunk 2 inches wide would need a soil ball of 18-24 inches wide and 12 inches deep.

The new hole should be twice the size of the rootball and deep enough to have the top of the rootball level with the ground. Mulch around the tree with not more than 3 inches of mulch and water with 1 inch of water per week for the first 6 weeks then break the watering into 2 session of 1/2 inch each per week. Do not pile the mulch up on the trunk of the tree.