Weeping Willow Oozing Smelly Sap — Bacterial Wetwood, Not Curable

Spit-Like Ooze Killing Grass, Smelling Rotten — It's Wetwood

Your globe willow has a branch seeping foul-smelling, grass-killing fluid. No cure exists, but the tree can live years with it.

What It Is

• Bacterial wetwood (slime flux): Bacteria enter a wound (insect, bird, wind), ferment sap, produce pressure → ooze.
• Ooze is toxic to grass (high pH, alcohols, acids).
• Smell = fermentation byproducts.

Management (Not Cure)

• Do not paint, plug, or treat the wound — traps pressure, worsens decay.
• If ooze pools, cut a small drainage channel to direct it away from grass.
• Water deeply during drought — reduces stress.
• Light fertilization (10-10-10) supports vigor.

Prognosis

Tree may ooze for decades. Structural failure risk increases slowly. Monitor for major dieback or trunk decay — then consult an arborist.