Foam during a rain

[Timothytree]

Has anyone ever seen this type of foam coming from the lower portion of a live oak during a rain? Was wondering if it is a sign of a blight, fungus, or root rot. Any help would be appreciated

 

[rope-a-dope]

Should not be a problem, kinda like foam patches in streams, the water movement churns up the organic acids from normal decomposition.

 

[southsoundtree]

Looks like a sign of increasing intracambial pressure. If you don't decrease the pressure, she's gonna blow!

Be sure to use your lancing instrument from behind the trunk or some sorta shield...gonna be messy. That's the tip of the iceberg, believe me!!

 

[southsoundtree]

Actually, don't believe me.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Actually, don't believe me.

Or...grab the longest, sharpest climbing spikes and head up.

Actually, dont believe me either

 

[oldoakman]

No worries, the tree is just peeing, that's all.

 

[evo]

Ever hit an old cavity? I’ve had weird hissing, hand have had the most putrid liquid gush all over me.

 

[oldoakman]

I was taking down an old silver maple that had multiply cavities. Cut into one and not only got myself soaked but the entire ground crew as well.

 

[JD3000]

Happened to me too on an elm.

Also, hitting the source of certain wetwood on elm with a strong rate of phosphite can bubble like crazy as well. Kinda gross to watch.

 

[KTSmith]

Two, separate biological activities can result in fluxing on the stem. (1) Bacterial wetwood (slime flux), which can be spatially associated with decay columns and common in the central core of oak and beech (and other species) and (2) alcoholic fermentation (frothy flux). Rather than continue at great length here, check out https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=21997 and GuyMayor (often on TreeBuzz) has written well on these two conditions as well.

 

[dsptech]

Ever hit an old cavity? I’ve had weird hissing, hand have had the most putrid liquid gush all over me.

You should brush and floss more often.

 

[KWolt]

Has anyone ever seen this type of foam coming from the lower portion of a live oak during a rain? Was wondering if it is a sign of a blight, fungus, or root rot. Any help would be appreciated

I think rope-a-dope has it right. If it was a wet wood/slime flux kind of issue you wouldn’t just see it during a rain. I see it all the time during rain on all species of healthy trees. Take note and you’ll notice the same thing.

 

[Timothytree]

I think rope-a-dope has it right. If it was a wet wood/slime flux kind of issue you wouldn’t just see it during a rain. I see it all the time during rain on all species of healthy trees. Take note and you’ll notice the same thing.

Thanks. This tree is having one of its spurs die. It has many but the spur that is dead is above where the foam comes from the bark. I climbed it today and the outter bark is soft and the cork and pith is not strong and tight. I cut some of it hut the owner feels like it will com back to life.