Sunday, April 19, 2009

Tree Looks Like It's Dying! Please help! (Pics included)?

Location: Houston, TX


Hardiness Zone: 9a


Soil: Sand/Clay/Dirt


Age:Unknown. In present location for about 5 months


Watering: Every other day





The home we purchased came with a tree in the backyard. We%26#039;re not sure what kind of tree it is (can you id it?), but for some reason, it looks extremely thin and fragile.





Many of the branches are barren and/or covered with very delicate, curled up leaves (seem dying). The leaves often change to a pinkish/purple color and fall off. The leaves also have holes, brown marks, and other damage. Once in a while, we%26#039;ll see a flower, but it%26#039;s usually very short-lived.





The roots also seem somewhat exposed, with mushrooms growing at the base.





Here are the pictures:


http://img240.imageshack.us/img240/1756/...


http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/3836/...


http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/1619/...





Please help me id and diagnose it! Out of all the trees/shrubs we have in our backyard, this seems to be doing the worst.

Tree Looks Like It%26#039;s Dying! Please help! (Pics included)?
At first I thought this was a rose of sharon, but I think it may be a crepe myrtle, too, because the leaves are turning pink/purple just before falling off just like my crepe myrtle is doing now. Give it a shot of fertilizer (not in the heat of the day) and the mushrooms growing at the base are telling you to slow down a bit with the water. I would also mulch around the base and stake it on two sides so the trunk doesn%26#039;t break in high wind.
Reply:Hi from Houston. Yep, that%26#039;s a crepe myrtle.. a young one. You probably couldn%26#039;t kill it if you tried. You see them all over the Houston area. They stand up to our winters and require minimal care. First, quit watering. It is suffering now from all the rain we%26#039;ve had. It probably has %26quot; wet feet%26quot; and that is what is causing the leaf drop. Crepes can go long periods without any water. There is fungus under that tree. Rake that up and then treat with a fungicide.





Crepes bloom on new wood, so you%26#039;ll want to prune it back in March after danger of frost has passed. For now, dead head the old blooms and you%26#039;ll see new blooms appear through October. When young sprindly suckers appear at the base, cut them off. They just sap the tree of vitamins.
Reply:From the pics the tree looks like a crepe myrtle.


It just looks like it is going through some stress. Keep up on the watering and allow it to get through this bad period. It will be fine.
Reply:It is a Crepe Myrtle. Due to TX%26#039;s crazy weather (too much rain then drought) most plants/trees are going through major stress right now. No worries...my crepes did the same thing. Our wonderful sunshine has helped soooo much!


The good thing is Crepes are very durable here in TX.


Pull out the mushrooms (caused from all of the rain) and put some Miracle Gro garden soil around the base of the trunk over the exposed roots. That helps give the tree nutrients for about 3 months. You can also put some mulch (hardwood recommended) over the garden soil to help keep the soil in place when they do get watered.


Welcome to TX! =)
Reply:My guess is also over-watering.





Thumbs up to Cat%26#039;s answer. I couldn%26#039;t have said it better myself.
Reply:It looks like a crape myrtle.





I don%26#039;t know how your soil is - sandy soil drains quickly, clay soil doesn%26#039;t. You say it%26#039;s sand/clay...clay with some sand can resemble concrete.





You should NOT be watering every other day - that%26#039;s too much, and the roots may be drowning. brown, drying, curling up leaves can be an indication of either a thirsty plant, or a drowning plant. When feeder roots are dying, they can%26#039;t transfer water up to the top of the plant - leaves will wilt, curl, and brown as a result. Whether the roots are dying because they have no water, or are dying because they have too much water and are rotting...the affect on the top of the plant is the same. The fact that you frequently have mushrooms growing there tells me there is excessive moisture, and that even the soil on the surface is never getting dry.





Newly planted trees %26amp; shrubs should only need water every 4-5 days in hot dry weather (assuming you have well-drained soil). Soil that drains quickly may need water more often, and soil that is mostly clay will retain water much longer, and will need less frequent watering.





If you are in doubt as to whether it needs water, do a little %26quot;exploratory%26quot;...move the mulch, and dig down a little if you can feel moisture with the tip of your finger by the time you%26#039;re up to your knuckles - then it doesn%26#039;t need water. The top inch of soil may be dry - but if the soil underneath is moist, you%26#039;re fine.





Move the mulch away, from those roots near the surface, and cover them with soil, then re-cover with mulch (taking care not to cover the crown - where the roots become the trunk).





Water when needed (possibly every 4-5 days - depending on soil texture and rainfall). Do this by placing a hose over the roots, turning it on to a trickle only, and letting it run for about 15 minutes. This will ensure that the water is penetrating down deep. Less watering is needed when the weather gets cooler.





The tree does not look too bad, really. If it was recently tranplanted (5 months ago), It may be dropping leaves more do to shock. It%26#039;s a survival mechanism, as it will lose less water with fewer leaves. It may also be suffering from overwatering.





Cut back on the water - in frequent, deep waterings and much better than frequent shallow ones. Aside from waterlogged roots - frequent shallow waterings encourage the roots to form only near the surface (where the water is) - making them even MORE prone to drought in the future. Deep waterings encourage deep root growth, which means they will need less extra water in the future when they get established.



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