Treating Frothy Flux on Navajo Globe Willow

A 2-year-old willow shows white frothy ooze with odd smell—classic Frothy Flux, a yeast-driven fermentation entering through wounds (pruning, freeze damage, mower injury). Unlike bacterial wetwood, it's in the cambium layer, not heartwood.

Management

• Surgical removal: Cut out infected bark to hardwood using 10% bleach-dipped knife. Disinfect after each cut. Soak wound with bleach solution, leave open to air—no paint or wrap.
• Limit removal to ≤50% of stem circumference.
• Boost vigor: Deep weekly watering (1 inch), allow soil to dry slightly between. Fertilize moderately (Miracle-Gro, Peter's, or high-nitrogen lawn fertilizer).

Healthy trees often outgrow the problem; it may fade and return. No spray stops the oozing.