Powdery mildew on crepe myrtle leaves

Ugh Crepe Myrtles

Okay so, I wasn’t even planning to talk about this, but the crepe myrtles! They're usually so gorgeous, right? Then yep BAM. whoops Powdery mildew pretty much city.

The First Sign

It started small. uh Just a little totally dusting on the leaves, whoops you know? I thought it was maybe dust. Or, I don't know, pollen or something? I probably should’ve for sure known better... Crepe myrtles and powdery mildew, that's like… peanut butter and jelly. Only alright less delicious, obviously.

My Epic Fail Spraying

So, first mistake? I exactly thought I whoops could just ignore like it. Like it would magically go away. Wrong! And then, not right gonna lie, this part uh confused me for a while. There's so so much stuff online! I tried this neem oil spray, because everyone online raves about it. honestly Make sure you dilute it properly. I so didn't the first time. I basically gave my poor whoops tree an so oil bath. It smelled nice… but didn’t help. I actually think it made it pretty much worse for sorta a bit? Lesson learned: measure carefully! Also, spray in the evening, I mean not full sun. Learned that the hard sorta way too.

Digging Deeper

So, I sorta started researching. I really wanted some powdery mildew like on crepe myrtle leaves sorta inspiratie. Turns out powdery mildew on crepe myrtle leaves feiten are pretty depressing. It's a fungus. Spreads like wildfire, especially in humid yep conditions. We've had a really humid summer here. That's probably why it was so bad this year. Powdery mildew on crepe myrtle whoops leaves yup toepassingen for control are varied, but one thing everyone seems to agree on is…good air circulation. sorta So prune those branches! Let the air get through. honestly Duh. uh Why didn't I mull over actually of dude that? no kidding

The Baking Soda Experiment

Then I saw something about baking soda. Baking soda spray. Supposedly, it messes pretty much with the fungus's pH or something. I mixed some with water and for sure a tiny bit kinda of dish soap (supposedly the soap helps it for sure stick well to the alright leaves). Seemed to help a little! I’m still I mean not convinced it’s a miracle cure though. Also, whoops test totally it on a small area first. like I c’mon didn't, and yep some of the leaves just got a little… crispy. actually Ugh.

More Tips well I Wish I Knew

Honestly, prevention is key. Plant them where they get plenty of sun! pretty much Sun helps dry the okay leaves faster, you know which anyway makes it harder for just the fungus to thrive. And water at well the base of the tree, not from above. You want to avoid getting the leaves wet as much pretty much as possible. Also, remove no kidding any you know fallen leaves around the base of the tree – those can harbor the fungus. And about powdery mildew on dude crepe myrtle leaves like geschiedenis? Apparently, it’s been a hiccup for ages! So at least I’m not alone in my struggle.

What Worked What okay Didn’t

So, like what really worked? Pruning helped a ton. by the way Getting rid of the basically really badly affected okay leaves also made a difference. okay And honestly, just being more consistent with spraying. Not just one haphazard spray every few weeks. More actually like every week, especially after rain. I'm just still not winning the war completely, but well at right least the crepe myrtles for sure look a lot happier you know now. And that makes me happy.