African Sumac Tree

Question

I have an African Sumac Tree. It is 7 years old. I noticed about 2 months ago that it was becoming sick and 1/2 the tree died, the leaves wilted and branches turned really white. A landscaping company thought it best to cut 1/2 the tree down in hopes of saving it. Then I noticed these black round raised balls appearing on the leaves and foliage of the branches. I decided to call the landscaper again and this time he cut the rest of the tree branches off. We put black tar on the cut off branches so bugs would not get into the tree. The tree now has new branches and leaves sprouting from the main trunk, but the black round raised balls are appearing everywhere and there is now a lesion on the bottom of the trunk. The tree looks unhealthy. Ive sprayed it twice with fungal spray and this is not helping it. Can you tell me what is wrong with it from the pictures? If the tree needs to be cut down, can a new tree be put in its place? Just curious if this is something involved with the soil or ground.

Answer 1

Yes, this is definitely a soil born issue. I would treat the area with, both, wettable sulfur and dolomitic lime. This will kill off most of the infection. Usually these kinds of things are plant specific, and won’t infect other types of trees. It is better to treat the soil just to be sure.

This far along it is hard to say whether your tree will survive. It is very likely that the tree is infected beyond repair. If it does die, then make sure the soil is well treated.