QuestionI live in upstate SC and have a river birch in my front yard that is about 10 years old. We had lots of rain & snow the other week and since the thawing last week my river birch has sprung a leak! Literally, water is dripping from about 10 feet up the trunk to the ground. There is a small puddle of water at the base of the tree. The water was almost spewing out of several places yesterday afternoon when it was really warm, but is back to it's leaky faucet drip this morning. I have tried to call several sources such as the Forestry Commission (I have not received a call back), the local university that has forestry, agriculture, horticulture, etc.. and keep getting shuffled to a diff. dept. with still no answers. Most try to tell me it is sap ~ but it is NOT sap! It is a cool, slightly sweet water that is really very good! My daughter caught some with a cup & we tasted it:) I am wondering first, what on earth causes a tree to leak water?? And second, will this leaking kill my tree?? We loe the tree for its shade against the afternoon sun that beats on our home. We live in the city, so I have wondered if one of the roots have tapped into a pipe or found a spring underground...but if so, how on earth is my tree transporting the water up & out the trunk like that??
Can you help??
Thank You!
AnswerThis is normal. River birch transpire a great amount of water-this is especially true in the spring when the pressure is higher to push the sap from the roots to the new leaves. Normally you see this after branches have been pruned in the spring or maybe broken off. It can happen with no wounding of the branches. I would not be concerned it will lessen as the warmer months come. Nothing really needs to be done.
Trees absorb water through the root system and through pressure the water is transported to the foliage. the growing action of the cells in the leaves cause the pressure drawing the water and food up to the leaves where it is turned into food for the tree. NO the root have not tapped into a water pipe.
