Why Is My Apricot Tree Oozing Gum from the Bark?

Gum bleeding from the bark of an apricot tree — known as gummosis — is a wound response that can indicate several different underlying problems. Stone fruit trees produce gum (resin) when the bark or wood is damaged or diseased, and the gum itself is not harmful, but what it points to may be. Understanding why the gum is appearing tells you whether action is needed and what that action should be.

Gummosis from wounds and pruning cuts

Any wound in the bark of a stone fruit tree can trigger gum production. A fresh pruning cut, a branch torn by wind, a lawnmower nick at the base, or a tie cutting into the bark will all cause localised gum. This gum is the tree's normal response to injury and typically dries into a hard amber bead without further problems. No treatment is needed beyond ensuring any physical cause (tight tie, lawnmower damage) is addressed. Allow the gum to dry and the wound to callus naturally.

Gummosis associated with bacterial canker

When gum appears from a sunken, darkened area of bark — particularly around a branch crotch, old pruning wound, or frost-cracked area — bacterial canker (Pseudomonas syringae) is the most likely cause. The gum may be amber-coloured and fresh or pale and dried, and beneath it the bark tissue will be brown and dead. This is a much more serious situation than simple wound gummosis. Follow the bacterial canker management approach: cut out affected tissue to clean wood in dry summer weather, disinfect tools, and apply copper wound paint.

Environmental stress gummosis

Waterlogged, compacted or drought-stressed roots can trigger widespread gum production from the base of the trunk and lower scaffold branches. This type of gummosis is diffuse — appearing from many points across the lower trunk simultaneously — rather than focused on a single lesion. Improving drainage, relieving soil compaction, and correcting irrigation are the responses.

Boring insects

The larvae of clearwing moths bore into the wood of apricot and other stone fruit trees. Entry holes, often accompanied by a mixture of gum and frass (granular insect droppings), appear at the base of the trunk or in the crotch between branches. The damage is rarely lethal but weakens the tree. Remove and destroy infested wood where accessible.