Mango tree Dying help!

[kwak250]

I have noticed lots of the mango's dropping from one of our trees lately and have been infested with some sort of mite that looks like small ants

Is there any way to save this tree it is at least 15 years old and produces some amazing fruit but over the last month the leaves are all shriveled  and the fruit is dropping off when still young .

Its about 20ft high and i first thought the dog has been peeing on it to much but i can see after climbing it today that even the higher branches are getting like this.

[drtreelove]

The extensive bark damage could be from mechanical wounding or from a fungal stem canker.  Without more information about the growing conditions, soil and water management and history of this disorder it's hard to know the exact reason. But I notice in the first photo it appears that the tree trunk is going straight into the soil surface like a post, without a root flare showing. This indicates to me that the tree may be planted too deep, or that soil has been piled up against the lower trunk, Thai style. If that is the case, then the issue of decay could have started below soil grade and the wood decay infection has spread up into the tree trunk. It's a common mistake based on poor advise and damaging practices. Tree trunk tissue is different than root and root crown tissue. The trunk should never be buried or have soil piled up. Some tree species are more susceptible to damage in this way than others. 

 

But in any case, the loss of bark indicates death of the underlying growing layer and conductive tissue.  So the uptake of water and nutrients is compromised in relation to the amount of circumference and bark surface involved. If it's 100% of the circumference, girdled (ring-barked) all the way around, then it's not good at all. The decayed patches appears very extensive and if at the same time the foliage is drying up throughout, then I believe it's past the point of no return.  The insect pests are likely secondary to the extreme physiological stress and imminent mortality. 

 

My neighbor has similar condition with a younger mango, not over 10 cm in trunk diameter. He had the trunk wrapped with padding for the funky support system he had installed for staking the young tree. Now the bark is gone all the way around the trunk. Wrapping/padding creates a damp dark space under the padding where fungal pathogens, water molds and/or pests can harbor and decay and feed on the wet bark that never has a chance to dry out. Vines growing on the tree trunk can sometimes create the same kind of conditions for bark damage. 

 

If you think I'm hasty at pronouncing the end, you don't think its completely girdled and there is still green in the foliar canopy, then post some more photos and describe the conditions. But don't focus only on the symptoms; step way back and photograph the entire tree with the site specifics. Then some views from different angles. Don

[kwak250]

Thanks for your time Don i will get some more pictures in the last 15 years it very rarely gets watered and grew very quickly always having to cut it down to stop it growing to high .It was in the back of the house on a very small bit of land when we moved in and probably only 10 feet tall then but now its at least the top of the roof 20footish

[FEBiochar]

I'm no expert on trees or their diseases but I am closely connected to biochar.

There is interest in using biochar to heal sick trees... the Japanese have a long tradition with this...

https://www.biochar-journal.org/itjo/fe/pub/en/ct/75-Biochar-in-Japan-Makoto-Ogawa-recalls-a-lifetime-of-work-on-biochar-fungi-and-plant-growth-interaction

 

There is a lot of interest in biochar benefits for fungal and phytophthora pathogens...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ar7tje52td6skly/Biochar%20Zwart%2C%20HortScience%2047%2812%29.pdf?dl=0

 

Amazing success with ash dieback in UK (search 'biochar ash dieback').

We are planning trials on avocado also with the hope it will have some positive effect on kauri dieback in NZ

 

I have no idea what is causing your problem but it would not be hard to make some biochar and try it out (and you can always turn that tree into biochar later!)

[drtreelove]

9 hours ago, FEBiochar said:

I'm no expert on trees or their diseases but I am closely connected to biochar.

There is interest in using biochar to heal sick trees... the Japanese have a long tradition with this...

https://www.biochar-journal.org/itjo/fe/pub/en/ct/75-Biochar-in-Japan-Makoto-Ogawa-recalls-a-lifetime-of-work-on-biochar-fungi-and-plant-growth-interaction

 

There is a lot of interest in biochar benefits for fungal and phytophthora pathogens...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ar7tje52td6skly/Biochar Zwart%2C HortScience 47(12).pdf?dl=0

 

Amazing success with ash dieback in UK (search 'biochar ash dieback').

We are planning trials on avocado also with the hope it will have some positive effect on kauri dieback in NZ

 

I have no idea what is causing your problem but it would not be hard to make some biochar and try it out (and you can always turn that tree into biochar later!)

Your close connection to biochar may have clouded your vision of all the other multiple factors at play in natural systems and in plant health care.  In my opinion there is no magic cure-all!  Biochar is a good material for addressing some of the factors in building soil health and plant resistance to pests and diseases, but I advise you to think of it in context of the bigger picture and multiple aspects of creating good soil and growing conditions, not as a magic pill. 

 

The mango tree in question here has an extremely advanced condition and massive bark loss. Biochar applications used intelligently may suppress soil borne pathogens as a preventive action, but I maintain that biochar will not reverse the damage done by advanced infections of fungal or phytophthora pathogens or abiotic disorders like mechanical damage or burying of a tree's root collar and lower trunk. But I haven't read your linked article yet.

 

Your Japanese connection reminded me of another researcher of a sort that I was in touch with about 30 years ago. He was an 80 something year old tree healer who had quite a following in Japan. He did hands on transmission of energy healings for trees, something like ChiKung (Qigong). He was legend because of one tree he brought back to life in Hiroshima after it had been wasted by the American bombing. I went to Japan to see him an his work, but he had died before I got there.

 

By the way, if you are producing biochar please let me know. I'm trying to compile sourcing for good soil amendments. 

[drtreelove]

On 7/19/2018 at 7:58 PM, kwak250 said:

Thanks for your time Don i will get some more pictures in the last 15 years it very rarely gets watered and grew very quickly always having to cut it down to stop it growing to high .It was in the back of the house on a very small bit of land when we moved in and probably only 10 feet tall then but now its at least the top of the roof 20footish

So there is another possibility for the origin of the disorder.  I understand why crown reduction is sometimes necessary, but its best to be conservative an retain the shade of the foliage. Extreme topping, if that is what was done, can expose the inner woody structure to sun burn of the bark on the stems, causing death of the underlying tissues and therefore loss of bark followed by wood decay.  The foliar canopy of a tree is an important component of natural protection with shading from direct sunlight on the woody stems, and establishment of a humid micro-climate for a moisturized bark and cooled growing layer underneath.