Pine trees wow with their array of colors–jade needles, chocolate-brown cones and hickory-colored bark. And for a short time of the year, some pines add yet another hue: shiny, gold sap.
But how much pine sap is too much? Or what if instead of dripping liquid gold, your pine tree’s sap is white?
Keep reading for everything you need to know about when pine trees drip sap, signs it might be a problem and how to help your tree.
Because sap is like the engine that keeps nourishing ingredients running throughout the tree, small amounts of sap may ooze all year from pines. Usually that happens after they’re pruned, when they begin budding or as the seasons change.
Typically, you’ll see the most sap flow in spring and early summer.
During winter, sap slows down and then picks back as spring approaches. Plus, as the temperatures change from cool to warm, the pressure increases, which can force a bit of sap to drip.
You can expect to see a few drops here and there during the growing season, or shortly after the tree has been pruned. But if the sap is pooling or puddling, that’s too much.
An excessive amount of sap is often paired with other symptoms like:
Golden sap comes from healthy trees. If you see any other colored fluid, your tree could have a pest or disease problem. So, your best bet is to have a certified arborist examine the tree in person and see what’s up.
Three common culprits are…
Again, a pine dripping a bit of gold-colored sap is healthy, so just let nature take its course.
But if that’s not the color of your tree’s sap, click below to figure out the problem (and pinpoint a solution).