Powdery mildew on crape myrtle

Watch Reply
More
Mark unread Print Skip to new
flowAjen central, NJ(Zone 6b) Sep 30, 2009

I have powdery mildew on my new crape myrtle. Is it going to hurt the tree? Should I use the same method(either 10% milk or diluted hydrogen peroxide) you would use for flowers to try to rid it?

Thumbnail by flowAjen
Post #7121088
Quote
ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Oct 01, 2009

Powdery mildew is usually more unsightly than harmful...but some crape myrtle cultivars are very prone to it, so you're likely to continue to have the problem year after year if yours is one of those. If this was something that you got from somewhere that has a good return policy you might consider exchanging it for a cultivar that's more resistant to powdery mildew so that you don't have to fight it every year (although even the resistant ones could still get it on occasion) Here's a site that lists the mildew resistance of various cultivars: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/trees/crapemyrtle/crape_myrtle_varieties.html Or if it is a less resistant one but you want to keep it (or can't return it), make sure it's planted in a really sunny area--that can help prevent mildew.

Post #7121965
Quote
ViburnumValley Scott County, KY(Zone 5b) Oct 01, 2009

Hopefully, flowerjen selected a clone that is one of the finer disease resistant varieties that have been released over the years by the US National Arboretum, results of the diligent work of the late Dr. Donald Egolf. Most (if not all) of these are named for native American tribes - like Muskogee, Natchez, Yuma, etc. See the USNA website for the extensive full list.

I think this plant is a victim of the excessive wet weather received in the northeast corridor this year. If you've got one of the newer named varieties, you may never see powdery mildew as an issue again (barring continuous cloud cover and rain, like 2009 will be known for).

Post #7122185
Quote
flowAjen central, NJ(Zone 6b) Oct 01, 2009

Unfortunately, I got it from my neighbor who got it from Arbor Day Foundation, so I have NO CLUE what variety it is. I'm hoping it is just because of all the rain we had this year, farmer's almanac says next year is supposed to be drier so I'll give it another year. It is in full sun all day.

Thanks

Post #7122313
Quote

Post a Reply to this Thread

Please or sign up to post.
Back to Forum Homepage

More Trees, Shrubs and Conifers Threads

Go to all Trees, Shrubs and Conifers threads
BACK TO TOP