How to treat magnolia tree losing leaves after flowering?

[Loisli]

Not sure what happened to my magnolia tree, now one of its side has no leaves and the other side is getting thinner. There are light green lichens on some of its dried branches. It just had beautiful flowers in September.

Would anyone give me some advice please? I have upload some pictures for your information. Thank you in advance. 

 

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Loisli,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

I'm sorry to see that your magnolia tree is not doing so well. Unfortunately, I can't see from your photos anything that would cause this kind of die-off.

Lichen is generally harmless to trees so it's unlikely this has anything to do with it.

Is it possible to get some close-up photos of the tree trunk and branches on the side where these issues are occurring?  This would certainly help our members offer better advice.

Allow me to tag @Noelle and @mich1972 to see what they think.

Jacob

[Loisli]

Hi Jacob, 

Thank you for your reply. Please see attached more pictures. 

Regards,

Lois

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Loisli,

It could be nothing, but are these bugs of some kind?

If so, this could be the cause of the issue and a close-up would certainly help. 

Let me know what you find.

Jacob

[Loisli]

They looked like aerial shots, please see attached picture. But I have found a bug like white staff in one of the broken branch holes.

Regards, 

Lois 

 

 

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Loisli,

I haven't been able to identify what this bug is, but I suspect it may have something to do with the die-off.

Allow me to tag @Noelle, @robchin and @mich1972 to see if they have any ideas.

Your best course of action at this point is to speak to an arborist who specialises in tree care as opposed to removal. They will more than likely have seen this kind of problem before and can recommend steps moving forward.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob 

[Noelle]

Hi @Loisli 

Looks suspiciously like mealy bug to me. This pest secretes honey dew which attracts sooty mould, which can affect plant leaves if the outbreak is severe, but I've never seen complete defoliation from either mealy bug or sooty mould, so I feel there is something else going on here.

Your last image, of the hollowed out stem, looks like there may be some wood rot in there, and that's a far more likely reason for dieback of the tree.

Seeking the advice of a professional arborist at this time would be appropriate, to see if the tree can be saved.

[Loisli]

Thank you Jacob. 

[Loisli]

Thank you Noelle.