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Help with a problem my Nan is having with her Monkey Puzzle Tree.

andrew.todd151272andrew.todd151272 Posts: 2
in Plants

I am hoping you can give me some advice on an issue my Grandma is having with her Monkey Puzzle Tree (Please see attached photos).

 

The tree is 30+ years old and has been in good health up until recently.

 

We noticed these lumps at the base last week and are sticky and seem very resin-like. We work on her garden once a fortnight and therefore I and my wife believe it must have appeared relatively quickly.

 

If possible please can you tell me what the issues might be with the Monkey Puzzle tree, how we can treat the problem and the prognoses for the long term survival of the tree.

 

Thank you in anticipation of your help.


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Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I know that Monkey Puzzle trees will ooze an orange resin/sap in response to stress or injury. I think that’s what is happening here, but I don’t know what had happened to cause it in your Grandmother’s tree’s case. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    I agree with Dove and the resin used to be harvested to make lino, amongst other things!  The gravel and membrane underneath look pretty new, so could the trunk have been damaged when the area was cleared (eg by a strimmer?)
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I don't think the weed control and gravel covering are helping either.
    I'd agree there could be damage there which possibly hasn't been obvious, and is being hidden by that. It would be worth removing that and looking closer. They don't often succumb to many problems - they're very tough and trouble free in the right conditions. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,841
    I am 30 years too late of course but it was planted too close to the house. The walls will do more damage to the tree than vice versa but long term there may be a problem at roof level.
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    The roots of the tree are more likely to do damage to the foundations of the house
     Possibly the sewers/drains as well.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • andrew.todd151272andrew.todd151272 Posts: 2
    Hi, Thank you for all you advise, I just thought I would give some more clarification for you to pinpoint the issue with the tree. The gravel has been down for over 9 years and we did recently put in a new fence around the tree as the old one had rotted away. I also killed a plant with roundup which was growing out of the base of the tree, I believe it was some form of rose and it had been an issue for many years, we had tried all sorts to remove this interloper and I finally succumb to using weed killer. However, I believed that these type of weed killers work on the foliage and it wasn't spread high enough to reach the Monkey Puzzle Tree. We have never been near the base of the tree with any manual or powered machinery and we very rarely have to weed the area around the base, so I can't understand how it has been damaged. We also are aware that the tree is to close to the house and as my Nans later husband planted over 30 years ago she is very relucent to have it felled. I hope these further details give you more to go with and I would be very grateful for any advice and assistance you can give.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    This is only anecdotal, but someone who has one of these close to her house told me "It's the only tree that's safe to grow close to the house because it has a carrot root."  She was under the impression that the root grows deep rather than spreading.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    There's lots of them in my area, including several just along from me, and they're quite near the houses as the front gardens aren't big. They've never been a problem, and have been there for decades.
    It's unlikely the weedkiller would have done any great damage,  but the fungus may actually have been associated with the rose. It's perhaps worth looking into that as the source. I don't grow roses, so I can't help with that, but someone else might be able to offer advice.  :)
    If the tree is otherwise healthy and not showing any sign of succumbing in any way, it's possibly nothing to worry about.  
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    As @Dovefromabove says, I think if it is resin, they produce it in response to stress of some kind, so: mechanical damage (which you say hasn't happened); insects; fungus. Maybe worth getting an expert in to look at it? It would be a real shame to lose such a mature specimen.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    I agree with @Fairygirl and wouldn't worry too much.  Keep an eye on the tree over the next few years to see if there is any sign of die back, particularly at the growing tip and upper branches (ignore the lowest branches as these naturally die and fall off over time), just in case it is a fungal infection which has caused the sap to be exuded.  There is no cure for such an infection but it may take decades before the tree becomes unsafe and there will be signs of die back long before it gets to that stage (if indeed it ever does.) :)
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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