Chinese Elm White Fungus

jonto

Hi Folks,
I have a white fungus growing on 1 of my trees and no others. It has formed towards the end of several branches but does not seem to be forming on the leaves and none in the soil.

Any idea what it is and how to get rid of it?

Thanks
Jim

Attached Images

	Elm1.jpg (43.4 KB, 24 views)
	Elm2.jpg (68.2 KB, 45 views)

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ALDEVAUX

jonto, it is not possible to tell what the fungus is because it can be positively identified only by looking at it under a compound microscope.
However, it seems to me that it is growing only on the surface of the branch which must have been kept in a very wet or humid condition for many hours. To be sure that it is growing only on the bark, you should make a small scratch where the fungus is growing to see if the tissue below is still green.
If the tissue is green, the fungus is not parasitic but just growing on the wet surface which also must have some sugars which favor its rapid mycelial growth.
In this case, you should be able to remove the fungus by gently rubbing the affected surfaces with a cotton swab dipped in a solution of 2 % sodium hypochlorite (diluted household bleach) being carefull to check the % of your bleach and do not to touch the buds or leaves. Also, make sure the branches dry out afterwards.
If the cambium tissue is brownish below the scratch it means you have to remove all the infected tisue with a sharp tool, but keep us informed if this is the case, and before doing that. Best of luck.

jonto

Aldevaux, thanks for the ideas. It started showing up on some of the leaves also. I pressure washed it really well today since it seems to be only surface fungus. I'm going to put it in my unheated garage at night to keep it out of the outdoor moisture and see what happens.

Thanks
Jim

ALDEVAUX

Yes, the best thing to do is to kept the tree in a place where moisture is not more than 70% R.H. You can even speed up the drying process by placing it in front a fan for a few hours until the fungus dries off completely.