I need orqange tree advice! (bank owned, insurance, inspection)

[phoenixfinder]

Greetings,

I have an orange i need advice about.

We bought a bank owned fixer upper in chandler this summer, and when we took possession, we had a sad looking orange tree in the front yard.

I started to water it daily and it began to look a little greener and healthier. i have also been using citrus tree spikes in the ground, and i assume they are helping.

Then I made the mistake of only having the sprinkler wetting the front part of the tree, and before long the back of the tree got very brown. it has been over 2 months since i remedied the sprinkler coverage, but the back of the tree still all brown and dead. the front of the tree is looking very green and healthy, and has lots of green oranges.

upon closer inspection, i have also noticed that the trunk on the back side of the tree has some significant bark damage. the bark is peeled off (i assume from natural causes) from about 10 inches from the ground for a bout 2 1/2 feet up to just before the branches start to fan out. the peeled area is about 6 inches wide. could this have something to do with why the back of the tree is all brown and dead?

there are 2 big branches that come of the back of the tree and the leaves from these 2 branches are the ones that are dead. should i just cut off these 2 branches or keep watering in the hopes that they will eventually come back?

i have also noticed a small area on the front part of the trunk where the bark is peeling too. the area is aout 6 inches high and 2 inches wide. i peeled it off and there were lots of little bugs under it and some cottony cocoon-like material. the bugs looked like small ants, but i dont think they were ants.

anyone know what i am up against here?

what should i do?

should i cut the dead branches or keep watering?
if i cut branches, should i apply tree paint to the wounds?
should i peel off all loose bark and apply tree paint there too?
how do i tell if this is an ornamental orange tree or an edible orange tree?
anything i can spray on the tree to kill the bugs?

thanks in advance for any advice you can offer and have a great day!

[deckdoc]

sounds like you got termites~ I would get a pest control guy there pronto~

then get an arborist to trim out dead stuff~ and to tell you how to properly care for tree

may be some money up front but it will be worth it in long run!

termite control first and as soon as possible!

[cap1717]

I do not know if your tree has termites or not, as suggested by the above poster, but I do know that termites only inhabit "dead" wood. It would appear likely that the roots on the affected side of the tree have died. This is likely due to lack of water, with a possible mitigating factor of sunburn on the trunk, major branches of the "dead" side. Yes, the dead wood should be pruned out. Engaging a certified arborist to do this job is both expensive and also your best insurance that the tree will continue to live and thrive. A certified arborist will be able to evaluate all of the conditions that have contributed to the decline, and to give good professional advice on proper tree care for the future. It is not a good idea to fertilize sick or water stressed trees, and although the kind of "tree spikes" that you speak of are probably not very effective, you may wish to consider removing them. Mature Citrus trees should be deep watered 2 to 4 times a month in the summer, and about once a month in the winter, if sufficient winter rains do not occur. It is important to water under the entire canopy of the tree, and enough water should be applied to dampen the ground to about a 3 foot depth.

[HX_Guy]

Exactly...never water a tree on a daily basis. Orange trees need to be deep watered about ever 2 weeks. Ideally there should be a "bowl" around the base of the tree, about the size of the tree canopy, and you should fill that up with water and let it soak into the ground slowly.

[_Charles_]

For less than what it would cost you to engage an arborist - one of the local nurseries would gladly remove the half dead tree and replace it with a new healthy one.

They would also advise you on how to care for the new orange tree.