Question
QUESTION: Last year my flowering plum tree had spot where the leaves were a paler color than the usual deep purple.  This year, the majority of the tree has pale pink to yellow leaves and recently the leaves have started to fall off.  I fertilized it this spring (with a few miracle gro tree stakes) thinking maybe the pale color from last year was a nutrient deficiency.  I think it may be dying and would love some advice to prevent that!!

ANSWER: Examine the branches of your tree for small, round bumps... your tree could be suffering from a scale insect which encases itself in a hard "shell"  Flowering Plums are notorious for attracting this insect. If you do see these insects apply a systemic insecticide that says it treats scale on the bottle. It is very important you use a 'systemic' because a regular insecticide will not penetrate the shell of these insects, a systemic will be translocated throughout the entire tree internally and when the insect sucks the sap it will be ingesting the insecticide as well.

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QUESTION: There are no small, round bumps.  But I did apply a pesticide just to cover all bases.  While on the ladder spraying the tree, I did not some of the leaves have holes in them the size of a pencil eraser... some sort of pest.  But of more concern.  I noticed the base of the trunk looks like it has a "spare tire".  There is a large ring of growth there.  The bark looks the same as the rest of the tree, but is just protruding almost completely around the tree like the "spare tire" around a guy's belly.  I can only assume that this, too is parasitic.  Should I try to cut it off?  Should I cut into it?  I doused the whole trunk with the pesticide.  Any other recommendations??

Answer
no i would not cut into the trunk at all, that is less likely your problem. I would just wait now to see what happens, the fertilizer you gave it should help to restore the color of your leaves if you do not see any insects along the branches. The holes in the leaves are most likely just an insect looking for a snack, I dont think that is the cause of your problem either.