I've examined the related posts on this topic, and seek additional advice from growers with that experienced the same thing. Sorry for length, but want to give detail to precisely describe the situation.

Situation:

- Arctic Star nectarine. It is spring 2016, it's 2nd year in the ground (planted spring 2015). Sourced bareroot from a retailer who sourced from Dave Wilson.

- Oozes gel-like substance (not sticky/tacky, but more like hair gel) on pruning cuts on branches

- I've also seen ooze at the base of where new (3" - 4") branches begin to form. The young branch wilts and dies.

- I see no evidence of borers. No sawdust. No holes. There is no oozing or any unusual circumstances at the base of the tree. Ooze happens in the branching of the trees, on pruning cuts or new branches trying to grow.

- This is not the fruit oozing, as I've seen other threads on that topic. Fruit is still small and the tree has lots, despite being only 2nd leaf.

- Tree look very healthy and vigorous. There are a few leaves here and there with curl, but that should not be a big deal, I'm told.

- Ooze seems to pick up when it rains. We've just had a day's rain, and the attached pics are after the rain. Prior, there was not ooze at these points.

Actions

- When I first saw ooze, I talked to my local nursery and he said that my best bet is prune out wood where I see the ooze. Better safe to hack the young tree than let the disease live on.

- My tree had two main leaders. I cut off one entire leader (half the tree) well below where I saw the ooze. As I said, better safe than sorry. I placed tar on the cut because it was a 1" branch or larger. Check out one of the pics. Despite this low cut, I see a little ooze flowing out of the tar.

- On the other half of the tree, I would cut off any branch where I saw ooze, at least 6-8" below the ooze. Now, even those pruning cuts are oozing today after the rain. Again the tree looks totally fine other than this.

Questions:

- I'm thinking of potentially taking out the whole tree before it infects nearby ones. Is that too harsh? One poster said it's normal for young trees to have high sap pressure, especially after a rain, and it will "take care of itself".

- Does anyone have the same experience and tried to wait it out? What happened?

- Would it hurt to see how the fruit forms and tastes? Will that be any sort of indication?

- I'm a home gardener with high-density planting. If I take this out, I'd want to put another peach in the same spot. Would that be unwise? Again, looking for someone who has this experience, instead of general advice of not planting the same tree in a diseased location (for a tree only a year in the ground).

Thanks! I know it takes a lot of time to read and respond, so it is much appreciated!

Nectarine Ooze Pictures