Hi- We're in Charlotte, NC and we have an approximately 9-year-old Carolina Gold peach tree. Can't say enough about how delicious the fruit is. The tree this year has been suffering- leaves ridden with holes (a bit more than usual) and wilty (with many turning yellow in mid-summer), and the fruit has been very small. We did have a freeze this spring during blossom so I assumed this might have had something to do with it. Also, the tree has never been quite the same since someone almost knocked it down/killed it with a car in the middle of the night a few years back.

Anyway, I just noticed yesterday, some globs of oozing up the trunk and at the base of the tree and am assuming this is most likely at the root of the problems this year. The oozing spots extend maybe 2.5 to 3 feet up the tree trunk? My question is: Is this more likely to be a borer or some sort of bacterial or fungal canker? Is there any way to tell? I can't say I see any sawdust on the globs and they extend maybe a higher than I've read borers seem to damage? I'll include a couple of photos of the trunk and the base of the tree with the oozing. Thanks in advance for any input!

Chris