• Flowering plum trees produce beautiful coloration, but monitor for certain problems.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Flowering plum trees are lush ornamental trees that produce a profusion of white or pink flowers They need plenty sun and, once established, they are easy to care for and maintain. Though flowering plum trees require little in the way of active care, be aware of some of the problems that can affect this tree and its health and appearance.
  
  

Brown Rot

• Brown rot is a fungal disease that strikes flowering plum trees that are planted in wetter regions. The fungal spores attach themselves to developing flowers in the spring, and as the season progresses, it spreads on to the twigs and the branches. If a case of brown rot is left untreated, it results in thin branches and gives the crown of the tree a scraggly appearance. While brown rot can be eliminated with a careful application of fungicide, it is best to avoid it entirely by planting the flowering plum in a drier location that gets plenty of sun.
  
  

Valsa Canker

• Valsa canker is also known as perennial canker, and is a disease that creates oval cankers on flowering plum trees. The valsa cankers enlarge until they entirely girdle the trunk or the branches, causing the foliage to die off from lack of nutrients coming through the bark. Valsa cankers can often be identified by the signature oozing gum, and the development of a roll of toughened bark tissue on either side of the canker. New flowering plum trees should not be planted next to trees that have this issue, and affected flowering plum trees should have the cankers pruned away in early spring to allow for plenty of time to heal.
  
  

Black Knot

• Black knot is a fungal disease that creates black swellings on the flowering plum tree's smaller branches. These knots can swell until they take up a foot or more of the branch, and can even grow to the point where they kill off the branch they rest on. Some severe infections can occur on main branches or even the trunk. Black knot can be removed through a combination of pruning combined with judicious use of fungicide on the affected area.