Roseapple infestation

[eyecatcher]

We have a mature roseapple tree standing about 10m high and the trunk is only 3m from our wooden house.

It had been replanted from elsewhere before we moved here but for at least 6 months I have noticed what looks like termite pulp being expelled from a few places in the trunk at the base.

Our termite pest control man tries to tell me it is a worm or caterpillar and never seems to want to spray the tree.

My concern is that as each day passes the tree is dying, already one or two limbs have died and snapped off in the wind, but I am really worries the wind will take the tree and it will fall on our house or even kill someone

Anyone with experience and how to inject pesticide or pellets into the trunk.

The fruit incidently two crops a year are so good we cannot harvest them before the birds and squirrels way them.

[xen]

I think your pest control man is correct and it is a grub or insect at pupul stage before it becomes a butterfly or other insect. Are you able to insert a wire into the hole and perhaps spear the grub and at the same time that will give you an indication if the damage is in the cambian area ( the bark and the area just behind the bark which is the area that transport moisture and nutrient over the tree).

You could then inject a chemical into the hole but it needs to go no further than the cambian level so it will travel though the tree. You will need to find out what chemical to use and what is available locally but it will probably be one of the organo - phosphates . I don't use them and i am not advocating their use, just letting you know what can be used. Use the net / google to make a decision if you will use them as they are dangerous chemicals . It is a waste of chemical to inject it into the dead wood or heart wood . However you must also be aware that if you do use a systemic insecticide you also poison the fruit so birds and the squirrels may also suffer plus any other creature that eats the fruit.

Maybe your pest control man is quite smart not wanting to spray.

By the photos there is also some corking of the bark which indicates that the tree is not healthy (obviously) and the insect attack is a secondary cause of the tree's decline. It also looks like the tree may have been transplanted too low which is also a cause of die-back . I would suggest you look at the soil and see if it compacted and / or waterlogged . The long term solution is to repair the cause of the insect problem as most insects tend to attack trees under stress and attacking the insect merely covers up the underlying cause of the problem.

Hope this is of some value to you.

[eyecatcher]

Xen, everything you identified from the photos is correct. The tree appears healthy but I know it isn't.

You could well be spot on with the waterlogging idea. It is I feel just dropped into a pit dug in clay as my veggies wouldn't grow near here.

I will broddle with wire in the first instance, maybe plug the holes initially with some borax and sugar but I want to save the tree obviously.

Thank for your informative reply.

[samuijimmy]

Good answer by Xen, the only thing that I might add, is you say it was moved....

If it was planted too deep the (i.e) above the original depth of planting, it could be that the trunk / bark is rotting below the now soil line... & is starting to rot... this will eventually cause the demise of the tree... I see people do this a fair bit...(most trees will not last, a few types will) ... I am surprised there are no supports to stop wind from moving the roots.

It's a slow process one or two years sometimes before damage shows... The termites probably taking advantage of weaken wood.... perhaps carefully pull back soil to see if you can see the original soil line. It could be too little too late...

The Borax sugar mix is good against termites/ ants

[BanTamo]

Unfortunately the tree is done. Any measures to save it will only delay the inevitable. Start a couple of new ones ASAP, and take it down before it does some real damage.

ISA Certified Arborist #RM-2498A

[Coppernicussing]

Chip it and use it to smoke up a few batches of wild boar.

[xen]

If the soil is waterlogged then i suspect it will be Phytophthora Root Rot may be the cause.The corking of the bark is a sign. Phytophthora is a major problem with Avocados in particular. There are new chemicals that could help but availability in Thailand is uncertain and will be expensive .Cultural practices such as aeration and improved drainage that may prolong the trees life . The Phytophthora will also exist in the soil for a very long long time so other plants nearby may suffer and if you replace like with like , the new tree could also suffer. Use Google to find out more on treatments of Phytophthora.

It is a shame as it is a nice looking tree.

Jimmy , your statement about the planting of the tree too deep and the lack of supports got me thinking and it is a problem everywhere i see in Thailand.. They probably plant the tree deep to help the stability . Those wooden supports the Thais use (and often for decorative purposes or because they think they should use them) do so much damage to the tree . I mean nails into the tree, ring barking the tree as the tree grows etc. Watching "landscapers " transplant trees i suspect the "root of the problem" is that they make the root ball too small and do not do any crown reduction (sometimes i think thank goodness they don't the way a lot of trees are pruned) and hence the tree is top heavy and unstable. They don't think to excavate a larger rootball or to excavate a larger hole for the tree so they plant deep or use those ridiculous and ugly pieces of timber to hold the tree in place. Just a observation and opinion for what it is worth.

[samuijimmy]

If the soil is waterlogged then i suspect it will be Phytophthora Root Rot may be the cause.The corking of the bark is a sign. Phytophthora is a major problem with Avocados in particular. There are new chemicals that could help but availability in Thailand is uncertain and will be expensive .Cultural practices such as aeration and improved drainage that may prolong the trees life . The Phytophthora will also exist in the soil for a very long long time so other plants nearby may suffer and if you replace like with like , the new tree could also suffer. Use Google to find out more on treatments of Phytophthora.

It is a shame as it is a nice looking tree.

Jimmy , your statement about the planting of the tree too deep and the lack of supports got me thinking and it is a problem everywhere i see in Thailand.. They probably plant the tree deep to help the stability . Those wooden supports the Thais use (and often for decorative purposes or because they think they should use them) do so much damage to the tree . I mean nails into the tree, ring barking the tree as the tree grows etc. Watching "landscapers " transplant trees i suspect the "root of the problem" is that they make the root ball too small and do not do any crown reduction (sometimes i think thank goodness they don't the way a lot of trees are pruned) and hence the tree is top heavy and unstable. They don't think to excavate a larger rootball or to excavate a larger hole for the tree so they plant deep or use those ridiculous and ugly pieces of timber to hold the tree in place. Just a observation and opinion for what it is worth.

Yes agree Xen.... although not always... I have seen a few cases here, of where they have done it without ringing and putting nails etc in... but that is not the norm, for sure... I can't find any pics off hand to show, although I know I have some, somewhere of well braced trees here, but suspect it has been "western trained landscapers" who have been involved.

If it is Phytophthora, that would be difficult to eradicate...as you say....

Not necessarily in this situation, but pruning out some of the branches could / would help.... also root pruning up to a year before moving would help.... But it's not always a case of digging a new hole and putting something in to it, localized factors such as the drainage and type of soil come into play~ !

In this situation pictured by the OP, the tree is too close to the house and will perhaps have caused damage in the long term anyway.... Right plant right place, comes to mind!

[xen]

If the soil is waterlogged then i suspect it will be Phytophthora Root Rot may be the cause.The corking of the bark is a sign. Phytophthora is a major problem with Avocados in particular. There are new chemicals that could help but availability in Thailand is uncertain and will be expensive .Cultural practices such as aeration and improved drainage that may prolong the trees life . The Phytophthora will also exist in the soil for a very long long time so other plants nearby may suffer and if you replace like with like , the new tree could also suffer. Use Google to find out more on treatments of Phytophthora.

It is a shame as it is a nice looking tree.

Jimmy , your statement about the planting of the tree too deep and the lack of supports got me thinking and it is a problem everywhere i see in Thailand.. They probably plant the tree deep to help the stability . Those wooden supports the Thais use (and often for decorative purposes or because they think they should use them) do so much damage to the tree . I mean nails into the tree, ring barking the tree as the tree grows etc. Watching "landscapers " transplant trees i suspect the "root of the problem" is that they make the root ball too small and do not do any crown reduction (sometimes i think thank goodness they don't the way a lot of trees are pruned) and hence the tree is top heavy and unstable. They don't think to excavate a larger rootball or to excavate a larger hole for the tree so they plant deep or use those ridiculous and ugly pieces of timber to hold the tree in place. Just a observation and opinion for what it is worth.

Yes agree Xen.... although not always... I have seen a few cases here, of where they have done it without ringing and putting nails etc in... but that is not the norm, for sure... I can't find any pics off hand to show, although I know I have some, somewhere of well braced trees here, but suspect it has been "western trained landscapers" who have been involved.

If it is Phytophthora, that would be difficult to eradicate...as you say....

Not necessarily in this situation, but pruning out some of the branches could / would help.... also root pruning up to a year before moving would help.... But it's not always a case of digging a new hole and putting something in to it, localized factors such as the drainage and type of soil come into play~ !

In this situation pictured by the OP, the tree is too close to the house and will perhaps have caused damage in the long term anyway.... Right plant right place, comes to mind!

You are right about the location of the tree - close to the house and with what looks like a road roughly a metre in front of it . Nice tree , wrong location.

What i am saying about bracing trees is that it is something we used to do to trees up to about 30 years ago . Then research showed up that bracing/staking trees was quite detrimental to the development of the tree. There are situations that some form of restraint may be useful but staking outside of the root ball and using ties that will still allow some movement of the tree is what s required. It has been found that some movement of the trunk stimulates hormones in the tree which go towards strengthening the tree. Trees that have been braced tightly are prone to failure later on especially in storms.

However if a tree is transplanted and if the rootball is in proportion to the crown size and the height of the tree then staking and bracing should not be required unless it is in a high wind area or there is a danger of vandalism. I just find those timber contraptions built around trees very unsightly and i do not like the damage they do to trees and often they are used just because the root ball is too small or is deliberately made small for easier transporting and handling or planting. I suspect the practice continues because it what has been done in the past and so that is the practice that will continue.

.

[SandyFeet]

That wood should be good for smoking. Shame to let it go to waste

[eyecatcher]

A couple of weeks since you guys all gave me opinions about how long my tree would survive.

Of course I am not happy about it. But as a few of you pointed out the recent wet weather seems to have stopped the tree bleeding, it likes rain for sure....and it held its own in yesterdays earthquake.......though I was well away from it!

Anyway....the good news......after the advice, we decided to get pregnant and now we have a few roseapple babies.

Just grown from the stones we saved and three them in a polystyrene takeaway lid with sand.

Life goes on, don't they say.