What is wrong with my crape myrtle?

Question

It is just one long branch f=growing out of the ground. Someone i spoke with said it is possible someone planted a tree there then decided to move it and left a root which happened to grow. I am not sure of that but anyway the problem is...the entire plant is turning black again??Looks like soot almost? Just a few weeks ago it was fine and had alot of blooms on it, still has some blooms but the black is taking over.

Answer 1

Could not have said it better than Saint O. Spot on and no harm done.

Answer 2

You don't have scale, you (rather, the tree) has aphids. Have you also noticed any ants or wasps on it? The aphids secrete a shiny, sticky residue which is apparently sweet (and also a black, sooty deposit). Anyway, aphids are easy to get rid of. There are a lot of products out there to treat them with.. like Triple Action, by Fertilome.

Meanwhile, don't worry. Though the aphids may make your tree look terrible, they won't kill it.

Answer 3

It sounds like black soot which is actually caused by scale. Have a close look at it and see if there are any round black slightly raised spots on it (there might also be a lot of ants which feed off them). If this is the case you will need to get some white oil and spray them. Make sure you completely cover the scale (under the leaves too) as the oil creates a film over them and suffocates them. Make sure you do not do it on a very sunny day as you will burn the plant. If you cannot find any scale take a piece into your local nursery and ask them they will know for sure.