"jils" wrote in message
u...
there's a tallish (15ft, maybe less), old Schefflera Amate umbrella tree
in my garden in sydney.

just recently, every growth tip has turned black, and leaves are
dropping. there's no obvious pest infestation, nothing has been put on
the soil, nothing's been done any different to the treatment it's had in
the last 20 years. but it's dying!

can anyone shed any light on the problem?

TIA

I imagine your umbrella tree has reached about 5 metres in height (just read
15ft) and probably has a root run that extends to around 15 metres (40ft)
from the trunk all round. Therefore it is in your neighbours yard as well as
yours.

I guess it has caused some damage to one of many things over there like a
reticulation pipe, sewer/septic line, underground power, mains water,
telephone line, driveway, brickwork etc etc. On uncovering their problem
they probably found a big tangle of meshed roots which they have cut back to
fix their problem.

Now they have decided spending their weekend uncovering and spending money
to fix the problem they don't want the roots growing back. Now lets think
what they might put over the roots. Could be diesel, glysophate (zero or
roundup), kerosene, blackberry killer, borax, caustic soda, builders lime,
copper sulphate or any number of things.

Now their reasoning might be that the roots are causing a problem lets stop
them coming back. This might mean they have no idea where and what the roots
belong to. Then again they may know it belongs to your umbrella tree and
that it is easier to poison it than to approach you to remove it.

Then again this could be wrong.

As you have had a few dry winters the soil will be drying out. If you are on
clay in might be hardpan down there and could be starving the tree of
moisture. It is a tropical tree after all and likes water.

Somethings to ponder I guess.

Richard