Crate Myrtle is tree having some serious trouble

[Bigslama912]

Crape Myrtle is tree having some serious trouble

Hey, I hope you guys will have some insight on what may be going on with this tree.

We live in the DFW area of North Texas and have 2 crape myrtle trees in our front yard. These trees have been here longer than the 18 years we've lived in this house. Within the last summer we noticed that one of the crate myrtle trees slowed down in growth significantly and now much of the top limbs and branches look like they are dieing. I have noticed that there is a crack in one of the main trunks in the sickly looking tree and there are some blackish spots around some of the branches right after they come out of the main trunks. As far as bugs go all I could see were some ants crawling around the tree, but not a lot.

The trees get watered on a regular basis with some miracle grow every now and then as well.

Again, this tree is literally 3 feet away from another crape myrtle tree that is thriving, and HUGE! THERE IS NO POWDERY MILDEW ON LEAVES.


Here are some pics which I hope will allow someone to help diagnose the issue.

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[beastmaster]

There could be several causes, but some kind of fungal or bacterial problem that has compermised the roots is on the top of the list. Over watering could of started the ball rolling. Crate Myrtle are pretty drought resistant and a wet environment can be a breeding ground for many diseases.
Die back is common in Crate Myrtles for various reasons, but since the other ones close by are thriving, I don't think its a environmental issue.
I would expose the roots carefully and inspect them.
You might try cutting the dead branches off back to where they have green, and see if it comes back. Other then that I think the tree is toast. If it is a fungal or bacteral problem don't plant another tree in the same hole, as it to could be infected. Clean any tools you use on this tree with bleach just to be safe.
All this is just a guess by looking at a photo, keep that in mind too.