The scales also reproduce on the shrubs, with each female laying dozens of pink eggs. Crepe myrtle fungus. Trusses of white, pink, mauve or purple blooms appear in late summer. The best way to prevent powdery mildew on crape myrtles is to grow resistant varieties in open, airy sites that receive at least six hours of direct sunlight every day. Festooned in white, pink, orange, red or purple blooms in summer and brilliant leaves in fall, different varieties of crepe myrtles (Lagerstroemia spp.) Thriving in times of high humidity and dry conditions when temperatures are 11 to 28°C, powdery mildew can spread to the buds, stems and fruit if conditions are favourable. Often the leaves are stunted and distorted. Older leaves are less likely to be affected, but can become infected under conditions favorable for the disease. An untimely drop in temperature after the tender leaves have made their appearance can spell death for them. This means the leaves absorb it, so its good effects last longer. Spring is the main season when powdery mildew flourishes. It'll just make it so ugly that you'll wish it were dead. Their common symptom is a grayish-white, powdery mat visible on the surface of leaves, stems, and flower petals. Crape myrtle bark scales are invasive pests that can infest shrubs and trees growing in certain areas of the United States. Wherever this honeydew lands, the stems, leaves and trunk get very sticky and then a black sooty mold will form. Mildew thrives in warm, moist conditions. You're seeing your crepes covered with this weird, white stuff. In Florida the leaf spot disease was severe in 1976, especially on the pink-flowering variety ‘Near East’. The white powdery substance on your crape myrtle is powdery mildew. The crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp.) To see how to prune a crepe myrtle correctly, read "Crepe Myrtle Pruning Step-By-Step." They fill the bill of being a small, summer-flowering, deciduous tree. A graduate of Leeds University, Jenny Green completed Master of Arts in English literature in 1998 and has been writing about gardening and homes since 2007. The weird, white stuff is a fungus called powdery mildew. Newsletter Subscription. Gently scrub the bark of the trunk and branches with a soft brush and the solution. © Copyright 2020 Meredith Corporation. If your crape myrtle's dark green leaves have turned white, your tree might be infected with mildew. But they all look pretty much the same -- a powdery white coating or spots on leaves, stems, and flower buds. Many of them have Native American names, like 'Natchez,' 'Osage,' 'Acoma,' 'Sioux,' 'Miami,' 'Catawba,' and 'Zuni.' Local garden center recommended "Natural Guard Neem Oil by ferti-lome". Crepe Myrtle Tree Problems. The trendy haircuts you’ll be seeing everywhere next year. 4. Powdery mildew occurs most often on young, actively growing plant tissues (Fig. Adult female crape myrtle bark scales are tiny, fluffy-looking, white or gray nodules often surrounded by black sooty mold, which grows on the honeydew the scales excrete. Question From: M. Laraby - Roseville, California, United States . Improving air … Diseases. A white coating or white patches or spots on crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica), U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9, could be caused by powdery mildew, wood decay or possibly a pest infestation. Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) is a white fungus that commonly develops on crape myrtles. Susceptible varieties of crape myrtle should be avoided. Crape myrtles are commonly attacked by crape myrtle aphids. One defense against the fungi is regular pruning when the tree is young, which prevents the creation of large wounds during removal of overgrown branches later. In doing so, they interfere with photosynthesis, because the leaf surface they're laying on can't get sunlight. Snipping off affected shoots controls minor infestations of powdery mildew, but remember to dip the blades of your pruning shears in rubbing alcohol before and after pruning to avoid spreading pests and diseases. This change may be a sign of powdery mildew, a disease common to crape myrtles. The crepe myrtle, sometimes spelled crape myrtle or crapemyrtle, is a large, flowering tree. Kingwood Garden Center customer, Ronny R, stopped by to find a solution for the unsightly residue on his crepe myrtle trees, which he believed to a fungus. If that sooty mold is accompanied with white specks on the trunks or branches, that is the crape myrtle bark scale, and is cause for action. The insects have been spotted in a number of states, including Texas, Louisiana, Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina and Tennessee. FYI, there are lots of different kinds of powdery mildew and they attack many different plants -- bee balm, lilacs, euonymus, phlox, squash, roses, etc. No matter how you spell it, this tree is trendy. Watering them twice a week as we do lawns in the summer is excessive for these trees. The mold doesn't feed on the foliage. Questions. Go easy on the fertilizer. To prevent these pests from damaging your crepe myrtle, use traps and insecticides. What's That White Stuff On My Crepe Myrtle? It causes white or grayish powdery coat on the leaves. A: After looking at your photos and examining the samples of your leaves, I believe the spots are caused by a fungus called Cercospora lythracearum as it is the most common fungal leaf spot on Lagerstroemia indica (crape myrtles). Over-feeding them produces lush, new growth that's prone to disease. Infected parts of the plant are usually distorted and stunted. Symptoms are typically seen on trees that are shaded and lack good air flow. Some common diseases of crepe myrtles include. Grayish-white patches on the bark near pruning wounds or in branch crotches hide colonies of the insects. By providing good spacing between the trunks and major limbs, you'll improve air circulation and have a healthier plant. Avoid overfertilizing the shrubs because powdery mildew thrives on lush, soft growth. Leaf spot disease is most prominent in the mid-to late summer season, but will turn brown and fall off as the fall season approaches. This often leads to a black fungus, called sooty mold, forming on leaves and branches in mid- to late summer. As summer approaches, it is not unusual for crape myrtles' lush green growth to turn black as they are covered in sooty mold. Patches of white to grayish powdery growth occur on the surfaces of leaves, flowers and new shoots. If you see white stuff on plant leaves, it’s probably powdery mildew. You're most likely to find the scales congregating on old pruning wounds and the undersides of branches. By Tom MacCubbin. Over the last 3 years, these 2 crepe myrtles have grown a weblike material across half of the leaves of the plant, which almost looks like they are being choked out. Unfortunately, some crape myrtle cultivars are susceptible to powdery mildew. And it's all your fault. If the flower is heavily infected, its buds won’t open and the entire plant will usually stunt or distort. On older leaves, powdery mildew mainly forms whitish spots that lay on the leaf surface. The surface of an infected plant has a powder-like appearance (Fig. ‘Tis the season to ditch your all-white palette in favor of something a little bolder and brighter. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. I mixed it 3 oz to 1 gallon and sprayed it on the tree and underside of the leaves. If your crepe myrtle is affected by white scale, it may develop black sooty mold (In fact, the sooty, black substance may be the first sign of white scale on crepe myrtles.). Spores of this fungus arrive on air currents, and they settle and grow on crape myrtles when the weather is humid, the days are warm and nights are cool. That's exactly what you get when you commit crepe murder. Initially, the infection begins as sporadic, circular, and powdery white spots. For those of you who prefer organic or natural products, you can use neem oil or horticultural oil. Powdery mildew is much more injurious to young growth. They feed by sticking their mouthparts into a plant and sucking out the sugar-rich sap, like a teenager slurping down a frappuccino. White fungus on leaves causes them to curl up and eventually die. Brown spots on the leaves of your crepe myrtle is most likely a fungus known as leaf spot disease. 3. Answer: What sort of looks like snow is called powdery mildew, a fungal disease. Powdery Mildew: Powdery mildew is one of the most common problems of crape myrtle, and it is caused by the fungus Erysiphe lagerstroemia. 1-5) I have noticed black sooty mold on my crape myrtles along with white spots on branches (photos are attached). provide head-turning allure to gardens in United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9. As suggested I sprayed all the leaves (it's only 5'tall) with dish soap and cooking oil. There are many hosts; and although this disease is not considered fatal, plant damage can occur when the infestation is severe. Crape myrtles are prized where they can be grown for their beautiful flowers, long blooming season, and attractive, interesting bark. Flower buds covered with mildew fail to open. Shrubs damaged by freezing or sunburn or affected by drought are also vulnerable to attack by turkey tail. 3), and badly infected leave… Plant a disease-resistant crepe myrtle. All the branches are black and has what looks like white fungus all over ... Q. Crepe Myrtle Drops Leaves, Doesn’t Bloom - The tree is about 25 feet tall and 20 feet from a 40-foot high liquid amber elm tree. Consult a qualified expert if you think your trees could cause an injury or damage property. The Plant Doctor | May 26, 2018 at 8:00 AM . All of these products are available at garden centers. Look carefully at the crepe myrtle foliage for tannish spots on the leaves, pinpoints of red or white moving about the leaves and/or tell-tale cottony webs on the underside of leaves. Powdery Mildew: Powdery mildew is one of the most common problems of crape myrtle, and it is caused by the fungus Erysiphe lagerstroemia. • Powdery mildew is one of the most common problems of crape myrtle • Surfaces of infected leaves, stems and flower buds become covered with a white or grayish powdery, mealy-to-dusty growth (Fig. White coating on crape myrtle is fungus. D.F., Houston. They are usually one of the last trees to put on leaves in the spring, but earlier than pecans. How do you get rid of white fungus on crepe myrtles? About a month ago I noticed my tree had what looked like black soot and salt over all the leaves. In fact, its spores cannot germinate on a wet leaf surface and will actually die if the leaf is covered with water for too long. Sooty mold is a fungus that covers the leaves and looks like you just sprayed your crepe myrtle with asphalt. We're used to tree leaves changing color throughout the year, but dusty white usually isn't in their color palette. This fungus favors new, young, succulent, crowded growth that prevents good air circulation. Finally, clusters of crape myrtle bark scales, which are white or gray, could look like a fungal growth. The insects feel like felted fabric, and if they're crushed, pink fluid oozes out. This common fungus spreads quickly, so if you have one tree with leaf spot, your other trees will most likely also have the disease. Powdery mildew is the name given to a group of diseases caused by several closely related fungi. Unpruned crepe myrtles develop beautifully coloured, smooth, mottled trunks. Black Fungus on the Bark of a Bottlebrush Tree, Missouri Botanical Garden: Lagerstroemia Indica, AgriLife Extension: Powdery Mildew on Crape Myrtle, University of California Integrated Pest Management Program: Powdery Mildew on Ornamentals, East Texas Gardening: Crapemyrtle Bark Scale – A New Pest on Crapemyrtles, Fairfax County Master Gardeners: Crape Myrtle Bark Scale on Crape Myrtle Tree, University of California Integrated Pest Management Program: Wood Decay Fungi in Landscape Trees, Black & White Infection on Shrub Branches. The petals are ruffled, with a crepe-like texture. Another defense is to water and feed the shrubs regularly to help them continue growing vigorously. Powdery mildew is much more injurious to young growth. Powdery Mildew Is Characterized By: spots or patches of white to grayish, talcum-powder like growth. Like the aphids, crepe myrtle scales drain sap, excrete honeydew and lure sooty … Some of you, however, persist in this cretinous pursuit and now you're paying the price. Although powdery mildew is generally associated with hot, wet weather, this is not its perfect world. you say. Additionally, crape myrtle should be planted in sunny locations allowing free air movement so wet foliage dries quickly. This is one of the most common diseases of crepe myrtles, caused by a fungus that leaves patches of white powdery growth on the surfaces of leaves, new shoots or flowers. 1. Q: crape … It is used frequently in southern gardens because the hot summer climate allows it to thrive. Get them off your plant with strong jets of hose water or by bringing in hungry ladybugs. If you have a sprinkler system, use it in early morning only. Most of the newer selections resist mildew. "I bought a crepe myrtle that was mildew-resistant. If a powdery mildew infestation takes hold, it can stunt leaves and flower stems, destroy flower buds and cause the shrubs to drop their leaves. A crepe myrtle growing in good soil and full sun naturally resists disease. Between late spring and midsummer is the best time for applying soil-systemic pesticides. I'm ashamed I let it get so far with noticing it but.... A net search identified the salt as aphids and the soot as fungus. Q. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. No 'bugs'found. QUESTION: I have a dwarf crape myrtle that gets a white, spotty fungus on the leaves during summer. Crepe myrtles also attract Unfortunately, you must have one of the older varieties that is not powdery mildew resistant. At the first signs of the disease, dust or spray with a fungicide that targets crape myrtle powdery mildew. This will give crepe myrtle foliage and the surrounding garden time to dry before it cools off at night. To prevent the infestation from building up again, use an insecticide like imidacloprid, which is applied as a soil drench. Washing with a weak solution of dishwashing liquid and water removes most of an infestation of crape myrtle bark scales and their eggs, as well as the black mold. Ask Nancy > Crepe Myrtles Are Covered With Sticky Residue And White Powdery Substance. With all of these products, follow label directions carefully. Depending on where you live, you may have a “crape myrtle” or a “crepe myrtle” tree. If you are seeing brown leaves on your crepe myrtle plant in the spring, it could be due to your area experiencing a cold snap. New, fast-growing leaves pucker and become distorted. Southern Living is a registered trademark of, These Haircuts Are Going To Be Huge in 2021, 7 Paint Colors We’re Loving for Kitchen Cabinets in 2020, 50 Books Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime. Mildew is a fungus; the white powder you see is made up of spores. genus of trees and shrubs are reliably hardy in zones 6 to 9, depending on the species, variety or cultivar. In Grumpy's opinion, the best fungicide for preventing powdery mildew is Immunox, because it's systemic. When pruning crepe myrtle, you have to be careful not to cause any crepe myrtle problems. This fungal infection inhibits the growth of new leaves and … That was last weekend. Patches of white to grayish powdery growth occur on the surfaces of leaves, flowers and new shoots. For years, I've been railing against crepe murder -- that odious practice of chopping down crepe myrtles into ugly, thick stumps each spring -- and many of you have wisely listened. Question About A Crepe Myrtle - My crepe myrtle is turning black. Get them off your plant with strong jets of hose water or by bringing in hungry ladybugs. 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