Well, I am totally ignorant about citrus. Have a well established 40 year old orange tree that has been looking sick for the past 4 months. I am in Southern California and it is hot summer here. The bark has been peeling off and it didn't fruit much this year (what fruit I am getting drops off small & rotten). Lots of flowers that fell off a couple of months ago and a lot of dead small branches. The ground around the tree has been (until this week) cemented in brick. My daughter and I removed all the brick and I noticed an awful, black mushroom type fungi growing around the base of the tree. Well, cleaned it all out around the base of the trunk. What should I do? What does scale look like? Should I feed it now in Summer or wait? I don't have an especially green thumb but will do whatever it takes to save the only two trees I have in the backyard. So, I would appreciate any words of wisdom from all you experienced gardeners!
If you post a picture, someone might be able to tell you what they would suggest you do to save your tree.
