Help me not let my trees die

[markstanco 12786]

I have about a 70/30 mix of oak and pine trees, maybe 40 of them on my lot. Is there something I can sprinkle around the base for disease control, bug control, etc? I am losing one every year for whatever reason.

[cactusflinthead 27627]

First question is why they are dying. 

[EE2B 1569]

It’s damn sure not from drought.

[Jerry Callo 8959]

Are both the oaks and pines dying?  Do all of the dying trees have similar symptoms?

[Gil Bang 26235]

call our a certified arborist to figure out wtf is up.

[DoobieWah 1535]

You need to try to structure a Peace Treety.

 

[cactusflinthead 27627]

There are a variety of reasons why a tree dies. Short of a detailed list of symptoms and the progress of their demise it's not very likely that someone can diagnose it from long distance. Some diseases are not worth the cost of fighting it. Cotton Root rot is one of them. Unless you are willing to excavate to a depth of six feet and replace the soil, there's not a damn thing that is going to work. Armillaria is another one that might take years to kill it off but eventually it does. Again, there are no proven methods for remediation. 

Looking at the survivors and trying to figure out which one(s) are in line next is the trick. Occasionally a dead one will have some significant symptoms but usually it's the ones trying to hang on that will tell you what they are fighting. 

[freyguy 4368]

Takes a lot to kill a pine tree.  How close is the nearest chemical plant?

[miguelito 11504]

Don't spray something just for the sake of doing something. You need to identify the problem first. Are you on an old Indian burial ground by any chance?

[RDCanecutter 26881]

How big is the lot? How old are the trees?

[Jkwellborn 7036]

Call your insurance agent. He’s probably an aggy. Ask him to hook you up.

[markstanco 12786]

First question is why they are dying. 

Which is why I asked.

Are both the oaks and pines dying?  Do all of the dying trees have similar symptoms?

Symptoms? The symptoms are alive or dead. I dont know.

Takes a lot to kill a pine tree.  How close is the nearest chemical plant?

Huh? Anyway maybe 15 miles.

How big is the lot? How old are the trees?

I asked one of them and he said around 50. Not sure WTF that has to do with dying though. Lot is 2.2 acres which again shouldn't matter.

I would just like to know if there is some herbicide to put down to help the situation.

[Gil Bang 26235]

Here in San Diego, I lost a couple of pines due to the drought.  The got infested by a bug that usually the tree repels with sap. 

When one tree was dying and the other started looking bad, I had an arborist come over.  He removed one tree, and drilled the other and injected capsules of some chemical into the tree.  He told me it was 50 50 that the tree could be saved.  It died anyway.  

 

[freyguy 4368]

Wish I had enough land to where I could use my chainsaw all day long....

 

sneaky humblebrag, bro.....

[Jkwellborn 7036]

An echo chainsaw? What type of foolishness is that?

[SHOOTER12 8886]

1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

Here in San Diego, I lost a couple of pines due to the drought.  The got infested by a bug that usually the tree repels with sap. 

When one tree was dying and the other started looking bad, I had an arborist come over.  He removed one tree, and drilled the other and injected capsules of some chemical into the tree.  He told me it was 50 50 that the tree could be saved.  It died anyway.  

 

Don't know how prevalent they are in your are, but pine beetles are hell in East Texas.  Pines seemingly just die in the blink of an eye. It is my understanding that initially they will go up the trunk of the first pine tree working their way to the top and then going from Treetop to treetop. How accurate that is I'm not sure. I know my son-in-law is a master it's spotting those little boogers at the bases of trees.

Edited March 11, 2019 by SHOOTER12

[cactusflinthead 27627]

2 hours ago, markstanco said:

Which is why I asked. Symptoms? The symptoms are alive or dead. I dont know. Huh? Anyway maybe 15 miles. I asked one of them and he said around 50. Not sure WTF that has to do with dying though. Lot is 2.2 acres which again shouldn't matter.

I would just like to know if there is some herbicide to put down to help the situation.

I'm probably going to regret this. 

The tree in the foreground has no bark. Zero. Nada. Zilch. It's been quite dead for an extended period. Trees die. Take a look at any mostly undisturbed forest and you are going to see the full life cycle from seed to decomposition. It's a big circle of life and death. You want to go spend a small fortune in attempt to stave off the inevitable? Go for it. Get some hunnerd proof goo and blast away. /snark. (I can't even use herbicide instead of goo. Because it pained me)

Or hire someone reputable in your area and pay them to talk to you. 

Your call. 

[RPM 26623]

Listen to Cactus. He knows his shit. If anything you want to identify the trees that aren't worth saving and clear them out. Firewood/wildfire prevention.

Edited March 11, 2019 by RPM

[South Austin 53222]

We’re gonna need pics of the wife before we can truly diagnose the problem.

[Rusty Shackelford 414]

I would just like to know if there is some herbicide to put down to help the situation.

LOL yeah herbicide has what your trees crave.

[markstanco 12786]

10 hours ago, cactusflinthead said:

I'm probably going to regret this. 

The tree in the foreground has no bark. Zero. Nada. Zilch. It's been quite dead for an extended period. Trees die. Take a look at any mostly undisturbed forest and you are going to see the full life cycle from seed to decomposition. It's a big circle of life and death. You want to go spend a small fortune in attempt to stave off the inevitable? Go for it. Get some hunnerd proof goo and blast away. /snark. (I can't even use herbicide instead of goo. Because it pained me)

Or hire someone reputable in your area and pay them to talk to you. 

Your call. 

That tree was on the lot next to mine, but fell on my property.  I just want to see if there was any preventative chemicals I should put down yearly. 

[El Diablo 4232]

Brawndo.

[South Austin 53222]

10 minutes ago, El Diablo said:

Brawndo.

Shit, I'm surprised it took this long.  Well done.

[baboso 6105]

If it's pine beetles, your pine trees are gonna die.

[horn4life 3838]

Spare the Oaks, Kil the Pine....

I would be concered if it were the Oak trees dying off, not so much with the pine trees.  Pines are much faster growing and that's why you see so much Pine Lumber at your local Home Depot or Lowes.  Pines apparently also don't do really well in wet, according to a quick search.  I remember beetles were often an issue with pines, but that usually the beetles themselves were just part of the problem.  Or maybe more like a Symptom in trees that were already on their way out.

Could just be God's way of thinning your arboreal herd..

[El Diablo 4232]

1 hour ago, South Austin said:

Shit, I'm surprised it took this long.  Well done.

To his credit, Rusty touched on it but didn't spell it out.

[SquishMitten 10497]

18 hours ago, markstanco said:

Which is why I asked. Symptoms? The symptoms are alive or dead. I dont know. Huh? Anyway maybe 15 miles. I asked one of them and he said around 50. Not sure WTF that has to do with dying though. Lot is 2.2 acres which again shouldn't matter.

I would just like to know if there is some herbicide to put down to help the situation.

That's an easy one. They tend to die rather quickly when you chop them down. 

[cactusflinthead 27627]

On 3/11/2019 at 9:51 AM, markstanco said:

That tree was on the lot next to mine, but fell on my property.  I just want to see if there was any preventative chemicals I should put down yearly. 

What to sprinkle or spray depends on the disease. It won't do a damn thing but waste money to put out any treatment without a reasonable guess at what is attacking the tree. It could be the same thing on oaks and pines. Could be different. Get an expert to take a look.

And yes a drought stricken tree can give it up years later. It hangs around a few years and finally says fuck it, the carbo bank is empty, ain't got any roots, got beetles making a nest out of me. I'm done. Time to be dirt again. 

Shit happens. We recently learned that emerald ash beetles are in Texas now. That's the most recent arrival of note. 

 It's got to be diagnosed before I spend anything. Even if I get the stuff for free, which one is the right one? And is it worth it? Is this tree salvageable? A live oak that's showing symptoms of oak wilt is already gone. A dogwood with about 10% left ain't working out. 

Before you spend a dime, get somebody that knows trees to check it out. 

[InkaUtexas 26869]

48 minutes ago, cactusflinthead said:

What to sprinkle or spray depends on the disease. It won't do a damn thing but waste money to put out any treatment without a reasonable guess at what is attacking the tree. It could be the same thing on oaks and pines. Could be different. Get an expert to take a look.

And yes a drought stricken tree can give it up years later. It hangs around a few years and finally says fuck it, the carbo bank is empty, ain't got any roots, got beetles making a nest out of me. I'm done. Time to be dirt again. 

Shit happens. We recently learned that emerald ash beetles are in Texas now. That's the most recent arrival of note. 

 It's got to be diagnosed before I spend anything. Even if I get the stuff for free, which one is the right one? And is it worth it? Is this tree salvageable? A live oak that's showing symptoms of oak wilt is already gone. A dogwood with about 10% left ain't working out. 

Before you spend a dime, get somebody that knows trees to check it out. 

Order beer, have it iced down, light the grill, invite this man out, profit.

I think that is what Cactus is saying, but does not want to sound greedy.  

[cactusflinthead 27627]

Actually no. There are plenty of men and women out there that can read issues like that better than me. Some stuff is pretty obvious, but a full on tree audit needs an ISA tree human. I got more on my plate than I can say grace over. 

[msbesq 388]

Wasted almost $2000 trying to save a 30' pine in our front yard. Two arborists, soil analysis, injections--nothing. Had it taken down and replaced it with a magnolia that's thriving. Btw, all the "certified" arborists in Houston are A&M grads.

[El Diablo 4232]

3 hours ago, msbesq said:

Wasted almost $2000 trying to save a 30' pine in our front yard. Two arborists, soil analysis, injections--nothing. Had it taken down and replaced it with a magnolia that's thriving. Btw, all the "certified" arborists in Houston are A&M grads.

Those guys know their wood.