How to use vinegar for gummosis? Everything you should know

Gummy disease is one of the diseases that terrifies any gardener or horticulturist who grows trees. This is one of the worst conditions our trees can suffer from, but fortunately it is not always fatal and there are ways to combat and overcome it. There is a home treatment for gummosis. Many people wonder how to use the vinegar for gummosis.

Therefore, in this article we are going to tell you how to use vinegar for gummosis, how to detect this disease and some treatments.

gummosis disease

The gummosis is summarized in that the tree produces an amber-colored gelatinous exudate that can come directly from the bark or from some wounds in the bark. The rubber-like material is soft at first, but eventually dries out and hardens from the elements. Gum flow prevents normal sap circulation and can cause different parts of the plant to begin to dry out. In addition, trees affected by gummosis produce very small, undeveloped fruits that eventually drop prematurely.

The micelles are not always visible, it may be a tree that secretes them below ground level, so in these cases we will only appreciate the rest of the symptoms: spoiled fruit and wilting of some parts. This is a particularly problematic condition on fruit trees, where it can lead to heavy losses in orchards such as citrus.

Causes of the disease

There are many reasons why a tree gets fat, since after all it is an emergency measure of the tree to protect itself, sacrificing parts and nutrients. To give an easy-to-understand example, gummosis is to trees what fever is to us: not a disease, but a symptom of a fight against a disease. The main reasons include:

• One of the most common is root suffocation due to excess watering. When plants are overwatered or soil doesn’t drain well, moisture can build up and prevent roots from absorbing the oxygen the plants need. This is especially dangerous in the summer, when the plants are more stressed and need more oxygen.
• As well can be caused by a fungal infectioneither due to excessive humidity or pruning with non-sterilized tools. For things like this, be sure to sanitize our garden tools before and after use.
• Finally, some borers can also be the cause of gummosissince they damage the tree at the same time that they bite it.

How to use vinegar for gummosis

If your tree is already showing symptoms of disease, there are steps you can take to try to cure it. Depending on the source of the problem, follow these tips to treat gum disease in trees:

Use a knife or similar tool, disinfect it and carefully remove any gummy or hardened areas of dark sap. Then, apply a healing ointment to the affected area and repeat the same process every two weeks until the tree stops producing a gelatinous discharge and the symptoms cease. In this case, vinegar can be used as a home remedy to treat gummosis. Instead of applying healing ointment, we apply vinegar to the infected area.

If the problem is a fungal attack, it will be necessary to use a fungicide, and in the same way as an insecticide or insecticide if the attack is from a boring insect. In the latter case, you should be able to see the small holes after removing the gelatinous substance. If you need to use fungicides on your trees, we recommend using natural fungicides.

How to avoid gummosis

Without a doubt, the best approach is prevention rather than cure. Taking the appropriate measures will save us from panic for our plants and will prevent the loss of some of them. Also keep in mind that gummosis can also affect woody shrubs, not just trees. Regardless, these are steps to prevent gummosis:

• Do not water more than necessary. Especially in summer, suffocation is more likely to occur. Water a little more often than water the entire field every X days.
• Make sure it drains well. If your soil takes longer than 15 minutes to absorb water after watering, you have a drainage problem. It removes soil, adds organic matter, and even gives the soil the proper composition. Unfortunately, it’s not an easy problem to fix, but many plants need well-draining soil.
• Always sanitize your tools. Pruning with unsterilized tools can spread the problem to all the plants you use later. Don’t save on disinfectant.
• Apply wound healer after pruning. In this way a possible infection through the open wound can be avoided.
• Finally, Pay what is necessary, no more, no less. If you overdo it, the high amounts of nitrogen in the soil can attract pests to your crops.

Benefits of vinegar for gummosis

Vinegar, whether it is wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, has several properties that make it a great ally to protect plants and prevent gummosis:

• Antibacterial and antiseptic: It is a type of disinfectant product. Added to its high efficiency is its low acquisition cost, making it accessible to all consumers. Kills bacteria and microorganisms such as fungi that are harmful to the health of plants. It is an element widely used to treat infections and fungi. Vinegar is extremely effective on surfaces and plants, household soil, and the human body.
• Soil pH regulator and anti-limescale: Due to its acidity, it helps to regulate the pH of the soil, as well as the skin and the digestive system when we take it. It also helps to break down excess lime that accumulates in irrigation water and in the soil.
• Insect repellent: Its strong aroma repels many animals, especially insects.

As you can see, one of the most feared diseases can be cured thanks to the use of vinegar, which can also be used to prevent. I hope that with this information you can learn more about how to use vinegar for gummosis.