You can sure tell when the tree is removed because of the smell, but I doubt any soil sample have been sent to A&M.
FYI: Janelle Dozier posted on the Mueller Group-Landscape and Gardens a very long article from the University of Arizona on Cotton Root Rot.
Replacing the lost tree with the same will only have the same results. In the case along Emma Long the homeowner was approved to replace with Cedar Elms which are more resistant. I expect the POA Landscaper will also replace those on Zack Scott with Cedar Elms.
I have not heard of anything that will get rid of cotton root rot but apparently some product has been approved for agricultural purposes. My arborist friend will just smile and say good luck.
I thought the trees on Zach Scott were already Cedar Elms. If not, that would explain why the Cedar Elms on our street (Mattie) grow at a slower rate than the ones on Zach Scott. I just thought it was an east-west, north-south difference.
The only real effective method of control is to plant immune or highly resistant species in infested areas. The fungus is soil borne and plants may not show signs of the disease for several years. It also may not be pervasive in the soil.
"The fungus is not uniformly distributed in local situations. Two distribution patterns are common. In one situation the fungus may occur in many small scattered circular areas, a "shot-gun" scenario. In other situations the infested areas are large and few in number. This explains why the disease may occur in one small area of a landscape throughout the property."
"The fungus is deep seated in the soil, and it may simply be that roots of many susceptible plants do not grow into the deeper, infested areas for a number of years......
"Some trees show no symptoms for five or more years after planting. "
It looks to me like the trees on Zach Scott are Cedar Elms unless I am mistaken. I noticed they replaced the dead ones with the same type of tree. I wonder if it is a matter of diseased trees because the dead trees seem to be mainly confined to one block. It could just be that this type of tree is not a drought resistant tree. I think the only thing we were surprised about was how fast our tree browned and wilted. I wrote to the Travis Master Gardener and explained to him generally what was going on and he wrote the following. A few useful tips...
Dear David,
It is obvious from your description that your tree is stressed. When was it planted? Where was it planted? What type of tree is it? What has been your watering schedule? When and how was it last fertilized? Was a "Weed and Feed" used? Many trees have died as a result of the drought and more are continuing to die. You may wish to put a drip hose at the drip line. If the soil there is compacted, you may want to put some holes in the ground to allow the water to soak in. You can do this by taking a rod and a hammer and driving holes about 4-6" deep. All trees need about an inch of watering a week during drought conditions.
You then may wish to put down some good compost around the drip line--about 1/2" if you do not want to kill the grass if you do't care about the grass, you can make it much thicker. To learn if there is still life in the tree, you may wish to take a branch and bend it. If it breaks, that branch is dead. If it bends easily there is still life in it.
Looks like TopGuard is currently only approved for use on cotton. Some studies on using barrier planting of resistant plants and high nitrogen fertillizer applications, but that may not be effective for trees. The fungus can live as deep as the roots.
On an related note, I just determined one of my Shumard Oaks has a pretty severe spider mite infestation. It's a tree that had a borer issue and has been weaker than the others - but I knocked the leaf on some white paper and there they were... So if you have a pale green oak tree, you might want to check it for mites. At least they are treatable.
Jillian-- Do tell me more about spider mites. We definitely have a pale green oak tree. Our other one died last year and we just popped it out of the ground--it had been planted incorrectly and was completely root bound. But I'd like to do everything I can to save this one. Thanks! Ann
The infested tree is on the corner of Antone & Cal Rodgers St. It's pale in spite of the supplemental iron I've given it. The leaves have a speckled appearance, some light & dark spots. If you take a sheet of clean white paper and shake a branch over it, you see tiny dark dots. Then you realize some of them are moving...
I've seen them on other plants in my yard. There are tiny living specks in this web:
I've been trying to keep them knocked back with regular water spray-downs (they like dust & dry conditions). I think the tree may need something stronger, but you need to be very careful with what you use. I'm not sure what my next step is...
The pale green trees may also just be chlorotic and need some extra iron. Our soil quality is pretty low & I've read that it's harder for plants to absorb iron in an alkaline soil.
