Paleo Verde Beetle or Fungus?

[ZenJenGardenz]

Hi all, my paleo verde is not looking so good. I have seen beetles crawl out of the giant crack down the center as well as fungus wiping out trees in the neighborhood. Not sure which it could be killing my tree. Is there anything I can do to save it? I posted a few picks of it at its best and at its worst. Located in Las Vegas this one grows.

 

[Upsy Daisy]

Welcome to the forum @ZenJenGardenz ...sadly can't offer you any advice but what a stunning tree!!
I'm certain someone will drop by and be able to help you soon.

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum! I'm not familiar with Palo Verde trees myself, but I've had a quick Google and it looks like the culprit might be Palo Verde root borer beetles

 

[ZenJenGardenz]

I wanted to let everyone know I have consulted with a local gardener and he told me it looks like heat exhaustion and wind damage. That if it were a beetle we would see the holes in the ground from them emerging. He didn’t see any holes. This is my tree now. Seems like it’s cheap enough to give it a shot... straps at Lowe’s we’re around $23 and the latex paint was leftover from another project. We shall see. Sorry my auto correct butchered the tree name.. Blue Palo Verde ****

 

[DirtMechanic]

We have some trees that like to split in the wind. I use a method where I drill a small hole through 2 trunks and insert a threaded rod. I use double washers and nuts on both sides and tighten them together. The bark grows over the nuts in time and now the trees have a metal skeleton in weak areas. This is also referred to as a form of cabling, but with a more appealing aesthetic.

Some arborists have access to ground injection pumping equipment. Big needles are what they remind me of, and are used to get nutrient solutions like compost tea deep down to root areas of larger plants like trees. It is worth a look.

Soil testing and so forth should be involved of course, but heat exhaustion can be hard to fight. One trick I learned on this board was the use of silicone as a supplement, which enhances heat and cold resistance. It is not mobile in the cells of the plant but rather becomes a component of cellular structure and that boils down to spraying it regularly as mix additive for foliar feed or itching it into the ground so that it is available or both.

It would be helpful to know the growing zone or geo of the tree location.

 

[ZenJenGardenz]

Thank you for that.. my neighbor though about drilling into it but it’s such a soft wood we didn’t want to risk it breaking more with the way it branches... the tree is doing really well so far.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Sure. Here is a link for a more permanent and attractive solution than the belts. I am sure they work, but time marches on and metal lasts.

Link