Halloween is almost here and we’re here to talk about something scary- especially if you’re a crape myrtle. You may have noticed a black, sooty substance on crape myrtles before. This is called sooty mold, a common problem with the tree.
The mold is caused by scale. Scale is an insect that feeds on the crape myrtle’s bark. These scale secrete (poop) out something called honeydew, which gathers on the tree. Then, mold grows on the honeydew, the black sooty mold you see.
The first step to getting rid of this is by treating the tree with an insecticide to kill the scale. That way, they won’t continue feeding and producing honeydew. After that, you can powerwash the mold off, or scrub it gently off with dish soap and a brush.
We hope this helps! If you have sooty mold and need help, feel free to reach out to us on here or by calling us at 318-286-0967.
