About Crepe Myrtle Diseases And Treatments

Introduction

I did not know what this tree in my garden was called till it was infected with some disease. The Crepe myrtle is a stunning small tree that grows in warm climates. This crepe tree boasts striking beautiful summer flowers, extremely beautiful fall foliage and is a totally good drought resistant tree. This tree had never gotten any crepe myrtle diseases and I later learned that this is because there are very few crepe myrtle diseases and that makes if almost live a carefree life and this so much supported by its beauty. The best part of this beautiful tree in my garden is that it is easy to grow and therefore we could say that the crepe myrtle tree is a desirable landscape tree. But all in all there are still a few crepe myrtle diseases that affect the crepe myrtle tree.

History

Powdery mildew

This is one of the most common crepe myrtle tree diseases that affect the crepe myrtle trees. It has very noticeable symptoms which include a white or grayish powdery coating on the leaf surface. These symptoms are only seen on the leaf but if the tree gets this crepe myrtle disease then the flowers and the growth of this crepe myrtle are the affected. You will notice that the flower will not open to its beauty and the growth of the tree is stunned. The main cause of this crepe myrtle disease is poor air circulation. If only the twigs are infected by the crepe myrtle disease prune them and do not decompose and if the whole tree is infected you may use fungicide for its treatment. To prevent crepe myrtle diseases plant diseases trees out in the full sun ,make sure you remove suckering branches from the base as soon as they appear at the base of your tree because this branches are more prone to powdery mildew and gives the disease a foothold.

Features

Cercospora Leaf Spot

This is a crepe myrtle disease that is caused by fungus it symptoms include yellow spots on the top side of the crepe myrtle tree leaves and a whitish gray coating on the underside. The fungus that cause this crepe myrtle disease attacks mostly during the warm moist weather and this can cause so much harm to the tree to almost completely defoliate. To prevent this crepe myrtle disease you should plant the crepe tree far apart in open air to help in the circulation of air and if it is so much affected you could use good quality fungicide you could also try and plant disease resistant varieties such as fantasy crepe myrtle tree.

Sooty Mold

This crepe tree disease is caused by insects. The symptoms of this disease will be a sooty substance covering the leave and stem of the tree making it look dirty. This sooty substance is mold and it is caused by a fungi that grows in insect secretions. Lucky this sooty substance will not destroy your tree but will make it look bad. To prevent this crepe myrtle disease you can use insecticides formulated for the specific pests or you can wash of the soot fro the tree.

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