Question
i have a victoria plum tree, i estimate to be about 20 years old, its is probably about 12 foot high, it is usually full off fruit but this year it had hardly any blossom and over the last 4 weeks all the leaves have started to fall off. now there isnt a single leaf left and on the big trunk there is a small patch of some sort of browm gummy stuff that seems to be coming from the trunk. any idea what the problem is. will it perhaps recover or do you think it is dead. thanks


Answer
Debi,
I am afraid that I have bad news, the gumosis that you see was caused by a peach tree borer that attacked the plum. Since plums are related to peaches and cherries, they are suseptible to this insect.
Borers are impossible to detect because they live 3/4 of their life eating away at the inner bark of the tree and will cause alot of damage.
The brown gummy stuff is a crystalized sap that the tree exudes to try to seal up the exit hole left from the adult borer exiting the tree.
Since the tree is showing no growth, I would have to say that the damage done by the borer has killed it.
The only thing to do would be to remove the tree and replace it.
Good luck.
Ed Gulliksen