What causes a Chinese honey locust tree to wither
The Chinese honey locust, also known as the soap pod tree, is one of the tree species endemic to China in the genus Gleditsia of the family Fabaceae. It is a deciduous tree with vigorous growth and separate male and female plants; the female tree has a strong ability to produce pods (soap pods), a well-developed root system, and is drought-tolerant but not tolerant of poor soil. It is a sun-loving species and grows well in places with sufficient sunlight and fertile soil. It flowers every year in May, and the pods mature every year from September to October. It generally has few pests and diseases.
Regarding the question raised above, analysis suggests the following possible situations:
1. Poor root growth vigor. The growth of the tree's branches and leaves is less vigorous than in previous years, possibly because the tree is older and its ability to absorb water and nutrients is poorer, and because the soil structure at the growing site is not loose, with poor aeration, water retention, and fertilizer retention, resulting in poor root growth vigor. Solutions: (1) Loosen the soil for tending to enhance soil aeration; the depth of loosening should be such that it does not damage the root system. In addition, water timely according to the tree's growth conditions to meet the water requirements of the roots. (2) The root vigor should be enhanced. You can use Big Tree Root Power No. 2 (the 200ml package is a concentrated formula, diluted 2000 times) for irrigation. How to use: before irrigation, open a ring-shaped trench about 20 cm deep at the vertical projection of the canopy, and properly loosen the surface soil; apply the product by flooding irrigation to facilitate root absorption, backfill the trench immediately after watering, and irrigate twice in a row with an interval of 15-20 days.
2. Insufficient soil fertility; strengthen soil and fertilizer management.
3. Pests and diseases. Observe whether the tree's leaves, branches, and trunk show signs of pest or disease damage. If so, for diseases harming the tree's leaves, you can spray 20% wettable carbendazim powder at 2000 times dilution for control; for insect pests harming the tree's leaves, you can spray 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution for control; for insect pests harming the tree's branches and trunk, you can plug the insect bore holes with cotton balls soaked in 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution, or drill a hole at a 45° downward angle at the affected site, with a diameter of 6-8 mm and a depth of 6 cm, insert a tree trunk insecticide directly, or cut off the affected branches and burn them.
4. Prune out inner-canopy branches, diseased and pest-infested branches, and dead branches, etc.
5. Growing environment factors. If the air pollution at the tree's growing site is severe, once rain falls and forms acid rain, it can cause the tree to bloom without fruiting, or even cause the tree to wither.