Detail on a branch:

Yours looks great! Mine's been in the ground at least a year (purchased from Baker) and it looks pretty much the same as when it went in. Tallest branch is 6' (only when staked, though). I fear that the caliche stunts my trees' growth. Mine's in full sun, sparser than yours and has some yellow leaves right now. I see some new tiny leaves sprouting :)

How often do you water yours? Such an awesome tree!

Just a few blooms today, no big display yet. Photos later.

Take care and keep the pics coming.
Grant

If your tree is small a strong blast of water from the hose will dislodge the psyllids and rinse away any honeydew. You could also try a systemic product that is absorbed by the plants roots and provides protection for several months. Look for a product that contains imidacloprid ( Merit) such as Bayer Advanced Garden Tree & Shrub Insect Control, which provides broad-spectrum systemic
control of sucking insects including leafhoppers, aphids, thrips, whiteflies, termites, turf insects, soil insects and some beetles. Applied as a soil drench, this product can take from 4 - 8 weeks to move through the vascular system of the tree and be effective on insects.

I had to go to Australia for work last month for 1 1/2 weeks, and when I returned, my Cascalote had these little beasts all over, although with very little leaf loss.

However, much to my dismay, my closely related, normally lush, Palo Colorado (Caesalpinia platyloba) - one of my most cherished finds - was not only infested with these bugs, but almost the entire top half of the tree was bare, and most of the leaves in the mid-heights were yellowing/brown and falling in droves!

I've had this tree for 3 years, and it has been a fantastic, beautiful addition to my backyard garden (and is a great pool-side tree, having [usually!] almost no litter)...it is about 15 feet tall, and has beautiful small, yellow flower spikes through the summer and early fall.

I'm glad to hear of these treatments, and will try these when I get home Friday - but, is there any hope for a tree with that much damage from these montsters?

I sprayed with an insectide the last couple of days before I had to leave town again (hard spraying with water just didn't seem to keep them away for more than an hour or so), and that seemed to help somewhat, but I am dreadfully worried that it won't make it.

Has anyone had problems this severe and had their plants survive?

Thanks for any and all help/advice!
Tristan

Avoid using insecticides. These products are non-discriminatory and kill beneficial insects as well. Ladybugs and lacewing flies feed on psyllids and chemicals will destroy these good bugs. The systemic (Merit) does not harm the beneficial insects.

Never heard of bees doing that kind of damage to blooms...my Cascalote is blooming like crazy, and bees are daily visitors, but no loss of blooms at all.

Good luck!
Tristan

Bees are good guys and priceless for pollination. The only bee that may be interested in foliage (not flowers) is the cutter bee, which removes precise semi-circle or circular pieces from leaves of bougainvillea, roses and a few other plants with tender leaves. They don't eat the leaves, but instead roll them up cigar-like to line their galleries where baby bees will grow. Cutter bees are solitary (don't make hives) and non-stinging. They are great pollinators.

Give your tree till next fall and I'm sure you'll be rewarded with the golden yellow blooms.

Will the summer heat kill off the psyllid by chance?

Please advise.

Thanks,

It's too hot for ladybugs - they'll head for cooler places like Payson or Flagstaff before laying eggs. It's the larvae of the ladybugs that eat aphids or psyllids so the ladybugs need to stay around long enough to lay eggs.

Most Cascalote trees will tolerate the psyllids. Even though it causes defoliation, the trees leaf out again. Next year you may want to consider applying a systemic in April to help control these pests.

aztreelvr