It has grown during the past 10 yrs. to about 10 ft., full & healthy. Within the last several months it shed many leaves & the bark is now split. What happened ? Dan Keen Naples FL napalon@hotmail.com
Older trees can have issues with cankers.
Do a good examination of the tree; the leaves for pest or disease, the bark.
Look for signs of pests.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/wax-myrtle/wax-myrtle-care.htm
After a long drought period in the summer my myrtle tree appears to be going brown and shedding leaves from the bottom. The leaves at the top are fine and appear strong but the lower branches appear to be dying. Can I trim the lower branches to remove any of the potential disease?
Though pruning won't remove the disease, it will remove the reproductive organs of the disease. This will give you a chance to treat it, while it is weakened. A fungicide should take care of the issue. This article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/using-fungicides-in-garden.htm
Make sure that those containers have a way to let out all extra water. Overwatering will be the cause of most diseases like this. They will want to dry out down to about 3 or 4 inches, thoroughly, before it gets watered again.
If there are no drainage holes, then it will be best to keep it where it will not get rained in. That way, you can control the amount of water that it receives.
This article will help you with the care of the shrub: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/wax-myrtle/wax-myrtle-care.htm
stem The tree has major splits in the trunks and a section has already blown down.
No, they do not have a tap root so, yes, you will have to have someone remove it to kill it. Otherwise, it will start to grow back from the roots.
You can attempt to kill it yourself, if you are familiar with killing tree roots that remain active.
Hot water from an overflow pipe sent a Wax Myrtle tree into shock. I don’t know if the roots are damaged. All the leaves fell off and the trunk and branches are black. Will it recover? Is there anyway I can help it recover?
This is very unfortunate. You can test a branch or two for life, though. Scratch the bark until you reach an area that shows pliable, green, living tissue. Cut any dead material that do not show signs of pliability away. This material will not recover. Any branches that show any sign of life have some chance of recovery. This article will help you to conduct a scratch test:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/tree-scratch-test.htm
In the even that you find living tissue, it will be best to care for it the best that you can. Providing the perfect care and conditions will assist it with the fastest recovery.
This article will help you to care for the plant:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/wax-myrtle/wax-myrtle-care.htm
If so, does it need rooting gel, etc., and does it have special watering requirements?
Most shrubs can be rooted from cuttings. Here is how:
Cuttings do best when the soil is kept slightly moist.
Southern wax myrtle died last winter. How deep are the roots?
The best course of action may be to till them into the soil! Removing them can be tedious, unfortunately.
Here is an article that will offer some more information:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/problem-tree-roots.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/problem-tree-roots.htm
We bought a small, young wax myrtle tree when we first built our house in 1985. We were told it was about 5 years old, and they generally had a 15-year life span. -- Our tree is is still growing 38 years later, making it approximately 43 years old! It's leaning over, but full of berries and the birds love it!! It has a will to live!! What is the actual normal life-span of these trees! I love it, and hope to have this one for many more years to come! Thank you!
They can live for around 30 years with perfect care. This is not to say that it can't live longer, but I would consider it "aged".
Here is some information on the tree:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/wax-myrtle/wax-myrtle-care.htm