We have a wild cherry tree that is bleeding sap. Up and down the tree
trunk sap is leaking out and puddling at the base of the trunk. Would
anyone have any thoughts or ideas of what we could do for the tree?

You don't say where you are, but it sounds like a peach tree borer. They
get into your cherry, peach, plum, apricot, and nectarine tree's bark and
work their way up. If I understand it correctly, they lay their eggs in the
ground around the base of the trees. When it warms up and stays warm, they
hatch, come out, and dig into the trees.

You can surround your trees with a circle of moth balls and then hill it up
about six inches with dirt. Do this in the fall. Uncover it in the spring.
This is supposed to kill eggs in the ground.

About a month before the trees bloom and bud out, you can spray them
completely from the ground up to the first or second crotch with a Dormant
Spray. Every time it rains or the spray gets washed off, re-spray it until
the soil temp reaches 60 degrees and stays there for several weeks. That is
supposed to kill any borers that made it past the moth balls.

If you notice any new holes leaking sap, you can take a cloths hanger apart,
stick one end in one of the holes and push it up until it hits something
solid. That way you mash the borers that made it into the trees.

This is an ongoing fight. It might be lessened it your remove any lilacs
that might be close by. The lilac borer and peach tree borer aren't picky
and will go after which ever is available and easiest to get to.

You can also buy, install, and maintain some traps that will trap the borers
while in the flying stage. In addition, they will get rid of several other
pests that will bother your fruit later on in the year.

Talk to your extension agent and other growers about what else you can do.
I also received a lot of additional info on the internet.

Dwayne

"speeracres" wrote in message
ups.com...
We have a wild cherry tree that is bleeding sap. Up and down the tree
trunk sap is leaking out and puddling at the base of the trunk. Would
anyone have any thoughts or ideas of what we could do for the tree?

Thanks for the advice! I'm in zone 5 in northern Indiana.