What Is Wrong With My Palo Verde?

Are there any scraggly bushes hanging from palo verde branches?

Do the leaves have holes?

Are there wet, sappy areas on the bark of the main trunk, which may crack?

Are there any apparent branch dieback, the tree looks weakened, twigs may be dropping?

Are the leaves stippled with yellow and the foliage is webbed?

Mistletoe is a common parasitic plant that causes palo verde tree disease. Mistletoe grows into the tree and can cause a slow death. The parasitic plant leaches its energy from the tree and causes lower trunk infections that lead to disease and tree death. Though mistletoe can infest palo verde trees and create a significant loss in a tree's vigor, the infestation can be easily controlled with pruning.

Palo verde webworm is a foliage-feeding caterpillar that feeds on the Palo verde's leaves. They may also feed on stems, flowers, and fruit. Handpick and destroy caterpillars, or spray plants with BTK if caterpillars are feeding. Many foliage-feeding caterpillar populations are controlled by general predators, parasites, or naturally occurring viruses.

Larvae of flatheaded borers tunnel beneath the bark, causing wet, sappy on the bark of the main trunk. Boring may kill limbs or entire trees. Prevention is the most effective management approach for flatheaded borers, which typically attack trees that have been previously injured or damaged. Providing proper care and protecting landscape plants from injury will make them less attractive to the borers. Avoid pruning spring-summer while adults are active. Properly dispose of infested wood material, as beetles may emerge from logs and attack nearby plants.

Palo Verde root borers attack palo verde trees by feeding on the roots. Check the ground around the root zone for holes about the size of a quarter. The only way to get rid of Palo Verde root borer beetles and their grubs is to physically kill them. Preventing them from making their home in your trees is crucial. Palo verde borers attack trees that are already stressed, so the best protection is to keep your trees healthy and well-cared-for.

Leaves stippled with yellow and webbed foliage is caused by spider mites. These tiny, spider-like pests feed by sucking sap from the underside of the plant's leaves causing yellow flecking on the upper leaf surfaces. You can control spider mites by spraying plants thoroughly with water 2-3 times a day for several days. For severe infestations, spray plants with insecticidal soap, or pyrethrin as a last resort.

Mineral deficiencies can cause tip chlorosis or necrosis or cause foliage to discolor, fade, distort, or become spotted, sometimes in a characteristic pattern that can be recognized to identify the cause. When nutrient deficiencies occur, nitrogen and iron are the most commonly seen deficiencies. Apply only the mineral found to be deficient. Excess nutrients, on the other hand, cause symptoms like leaf tip dieback, marginal leaf chlorosis, necrosis (or burn), branch dieback, and pest problems. In this case, you should provide good drainage, and use good practices during fertilization and irrigation.