What Is Wrong With My Crepe Myrtle?

Are the leaves curled and yellow?

Are the leaves covered with white powdery patches?

Do the leaves have blotches on them?

Are the leaves near stem tips turning brown?

Does the shrub blackened at the top and die back in the spring?

Distorted, curled leaves are caused by aphids. These tiny insects can vary in color, green, pink, black, gray to completely white. They cluster under leaves and on growing tips where they feed on plant sap. Leaves, stems, and buds get distorted, and later leaves and flowers drop from the plant. You can control them by washing them off the plant with water spray. Insecticidal soap should be used with severe infestations.

White, powdery coating on the leaves is caused by a fungal disease Powdery mildew. Powdery mildew usually appears in damp places. Encourage good air circulation around the affected plants by thining any surrounding plants. Water plants from bellow to keep foliage dry. Any affected leaves should be cut off and removed. Any commercial fungicidal spray will protect your plant from further infections.

Your plants might be suffering from Anthracnose or some other fungal leaf spot. Spots may enlarge rapidly, especially in wet weather. Destroy infected leaves or plants. Spray plants with sulfur or Bordeaux mixture to prevent the disease from spreading, especially if the weather is wet.

Tip blight is a fungal disease that sometimes attacks crepe myrtle. Leaves near the branch tips turn brown in late spring or early summer. Tiny black spore-bearing bodies appear on infected leaves. Spray plants with copper or lime sulfur when symptoms first appear and then every 10 days in wet seasons. Avoid overhead watering which keeps foliage moist and fosters the disease. Prune to increase air circulation around plants, sterilize pruning tools between cuts.

In some northern areas crepe myrtles can suffer from cold snaps which kill their tops. Their roots are generally cold hardy, so prune off the dead material early in the spring before growth starts. The plant will sprout new growth and bloom on schedule.

If the crepe myrtle fails to bloom, you may have pruned it too late. Crepe myrtles bloom on wood that is formed in the current growing season. If pruning is delayed until the new shoots have begun to grow and they are cut off, flower buds will not form. The tree is all right and will bloom next season. Always prune before growth starts in the spring.