Q: I think I’ve heard you say that mimosa trees get a disease that kills them before they grow large. I’ve seen a huge one near Lenox Park. Will it die?

A: It is true that mimosa trees die after only a few years in the Southeast. They become infected with fusarium wilt, which clogs their water carrying tissue and leads to yellowing and death.

The disease spreads via soil that has disease spores in it. Rivers and earthmoving equipment spread the spores throughout the South after the disease was discovered in North Carolina in the 1930’s.

Nothing can be done to prevent the disease; some work was done to select disease resistant varieties but nothing came of it.

If the tree is truly as large as you say, try propagating it from seeds and cuttings. Maybe you have a potential horticultural gold mine!