Slime Flux

Hosts, Symptoms & Signs

• cottonwoods, ashes, elms and occasionally other trees
• caused by several species of bacteria
• two types of slime flux occur in Utah: infections of the heartwood and infections of the bark/cambial tissues
• general canopy dieback
• trunk has a wet spot and staining where bacteria are oozing from a fine crack
• slime flux infections of the cambium can kill trees within 1 - 2 years; trees with heartwood slime flux infections can live for a long time
• oozing from tree can kill turf or plants below

Disease Cycle

• bacteria enter the trunk through small wounds and feed on sap
• bacteria produce gases, such as carbon dioxide, that build up under the bark, creating pressure
• eventually the bark will crack and a bacterial ooze is released

IPM Recommendations

• Prevent tree stress. Trees stressed from drought, soil compaction, insect feeding or plant pathogens may die within a few years of slime flux symptoms appearing.
• Keep trees well watered and fertilized.
• Avoid damaging the trunk to minimize entrance points for bacteria.
• There is no cure for heartwood slime flux infections.
• Prune affected branches, etc., of trees with a bark/cambial infection.
• Pruning requires catching the disease early; advanced stages of cambial infection in the main stem cannot be reasonably removed without damaging the tree.
• Plant resistant trees.