Is Muscadine Tree Dying?

Question

There is a big muscadine tree in my backyard and I noticed some black on the trunk and some of the bark is easy to pull off. Last year in May it was dropping grapes. This is a very large tree. What do you think I should do?

Answer 1

Is the black powdery or soot-like in nature? It could be sooty mold, which is often an indication of pests. I would treat it with neem oil to both rid the plant of the pests and sooty mold problem.