Mature Honey Locust Tree dying- is it past its prime? Or save-able?
by
Lou
+10
A few weeks ago I noticed a lot of yellow leaves on our lawn. Out mature Honey Locust tree has several large limbs that are dead looking.
Any idea what could be causing that? When my brother in law lived here about 30 years ago it was already a mature tree. Could it just be old and past it's prime?
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Is it getting enough water. This tree usually grows in or around river beds.
If it's a large tree and you value it, get the opinion of a certified arborist. A dead/dying tree could be dangerous to your house and people on the lawn.
https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/garden/02939.pdf
http://everydayhappy7.com/2017/02/18/house-will-always-smell-incredibly-trick-will-change-life/
I second Ellis's comment above - contact a certified arborist. It really is the only way for you to know for sure if the tree is worth saving (I guess you could wait for it to die a long painful death but that doesn't seem kind). I hired an arborist to inspect a willow tree I had that was looking sickly. Sadly it was diseased so we took it down. I actually left the stump about 2' high and incorporated it into a small garden area (I loved that tree and hated to see it go!). I hope your tree is just a little under the weather and not too far gone. If there's no hope, you can also cut up the trunk and branches for a variety of craft projects so the tree can live on in a variety of ways.
Depending upon where you live, it could be a result of a dropping water table. Here in Central Calif. I have an 80 year old oak tree in front of my house. A couple of years ago the top started dying off (that was in the middle of a 5 year drought). I started running a garden hose for 24 hours every Sat.-Sun. around the drip line of the tree. It turns out that the water table had dropped below the root zone of the tree. Now it is as healthy as ever. Don't know if this is your situation, but just a thought. Good luck.
Our honey locust tree is about 100 years old. Big branches have been dropping off. Luckily nobody has been hurt or killed or the roof damaged. Is it time to take it down?