Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Thursday - May 24, 2012
From: Round Rock, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pests, Trees
Title: Unknown pest of Texas Mountain Laurel from Round Rock TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
I have a Texas Mountain Laurel that is being denuded from the top down by something unseen. It's not the Genista moth larvae, as there are no worms and no webbing visible. The only clue that it might be insects is a small spider web in one of the forks of the branches. There are new growth leaves appearing in some of the denuded places, so the wood itself is not dead. Any ideas?ANSWER:
Here is one of our own previous answers on this subject. From Arid Zone Trees, more of the same. You did not say how old your tree is, sometimes loss of leaves can be caused by transplant shock, which in turn is caused by a tree not planted with good drainage, not receiving the right amount of sun. If your tree is not being overwatered, if water does not stand on the ground after infrequent watering, and it is in full sun or part shade, it should recover.
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