QuestionWE have a beautiful old oak tree on our front lawn,but when I came home today it was raining heavily and there were what looked like white soap suds accumulating near where the trunk meets the ground. I have lived here for 30 years and have never seen anything like this before. It looked like the white suds were running down the bark from higher up on the tree. Is this a disease?
AnswerI have not seen this before but it sounds like just a buildup of chemicals, dust, pollen on the bark that the rain washed down. I know of no disease that fits this description. There is a bacteria type disease that causes a frothy discharge but this is coming from a area on the trunk the would be dark colored but this does not sound like what you are describing. I would just watch the tree and if it leafs out fully this spring whatever it was does not effect the trees health. Sorry have not seen or heard of this before.
