By Coralmary
United Kingdom 
Hi I have a problem with a plum tree in the Gironde , France. We are surrounded by plum orchards which produce brilliant crops. I love plums and planted a plum tree about 8 years ago . It has grown a lot and looks really healthy on the surface but it has never produced many plums , one year six , last year about twenty but this year it seemed to have only one branch with blossom and it produced one wizened plum. We cut off some gangly branches last year and I notice that some of the leaves are curled and there is some sticky amber like substance on the branches. Any suggestions please ? Yours Coral Thomas
30 Jun, 2017
Answers
If the amber substance is foamy, when it first comes out, it might be a bacterial disease called slime flux.
30 Jun, 2017
As said, I would say that your tree has bacterial canker. If this is the case then I'm afraid that there is no cure. I would suggest that you start again in another part of the garden and find out what varieties are grown by the locals so you can follow suit.
30 Jun, 2017
Thank you for replies I will take a photo of the plum tree when back in France. Sounds like bad news though from the comments . Oh dear!
2 Jul, 2017
I don't like the sound of this - a photograph or three is essential really. Amber coloured sticky ooze or liquid usually indicates gummosis or, worse, canker. Because you're not in the UK, it might indicate some kind of pest that makes holes in the wood of the tree, or it might be that a pathogen invaded the tree sap after you pruned, but how serious it actually is is hard to say without seeing what's going on. It doesn't sound good if there's only one branch left that managed to leaf out.
30 Jun, 2017