Question

dying catalpa tree  

Knots and cracks   I have a catalpa tree that 1/2 of it is dying or is dead.Ithas knots and cracks on the dead limbs or dying limbs.I am using Bayer advanced disease control liquid on it, and have tried everything else That I have been told to do, including pruning spray for cracks. It was Totally fine until about Beginning of june. Please help me save my tree,, and what do I do with the limbs that are dying or dead,, cut them off?  Here are some photos of the tree.. Thank you, Tonja

Answer
Dear Tonja, Sorry to have taken so long to get back to you, but I think the problem with your catalpa is one of three things: borers, drought, or age. The knots and cracks in the limbs look a lot like borer holes and pruning spray wouldn't really help that.  The remedy for borers would be to spray with Spinosad, an organic spray that should be very effective.  Fertilome also has a Borer, Bagworm, Tent Caterpillar Spray (name is very similar to that) that works.  A systemic wouldn't be very effective mostly because a catalpa is so very large.  You would also need to prune off many of the bad limbs and then seal the ends with pruning spray.  The tree would then leaf out around the pruned areas. So you would need to spray the tree with Spinosad or the Fertilome spray, prune and seal the ends of the dead branches for the borer damage.  Another possible stressor would be the severe drought from last year.  I also live in Texas and have seen a great deal of damage on many trees, including catalpa.  Although this tree is very drought tolerant, this was the worst summer on record, and it can cause a great deal of damage.  Last, you would have the problem of the age of the tree.  Catalpa trees can live for only about 60-70 years, so a tree approaching that age will inevitably die.  Your tree is very large, so it could be nearing old age.  Plus you have to take into account that the other stressors of borers and drought will have worse effects on an older tree.  My advice would be to treat for the borers which will make the tree's appearance much better and help conserve the plant's fluid for healthy limbs instead of damaged ones.  You can probably get several more beautiful years out of this tree.  Other than what I have mentioned they really don't require treatment for any other pests or diseases.  You might also want to plant a young one so that when the older tree does die, you will have another one to take its place.  They certainly are gorgeous.  I hope this information helps.  Good luck, Melissa