This week, a question asked by dozens of people this month. It’s sticky, it’s messy – and not the end of the world!
Q: My crape myrtles are covered in webs and dead leaves and sticky mess! Black mold, too! Are these webworms, or what should I spray on my plant to fix it? Is my crape myrtle doomed?
A: Last question first. Your crape myrtle is certainly not doomed.
Aphids and bark scale have been feasting on your crape myrtles all season long, with the vast majority of the webbed plant samples brought to us this month being covered in aphid debris… and spider webs! The spiders have been feasting too, and their webs are catching every faded flower and dropping leaf nearby. Those webs are unsightly, but it’s not the spiders’ fault – they’re not feeding on the plant at all.
You can kill aphids with a great many common lawn and garden insecticides, but as we go into the latter half of October, we get a lot more relaxed about treating this pest (for now.) Use a quick knock-down spray of Bonide Eight or one of a great many common lawn and garden insecticides labeled for use on shrubs for aphids. Many different insecticides will get the job done, with a repeat spraying a few days after the first. IFÂ you treat.
But even if you treat, your crape myrtle will still look a mess until it drops its’ leaves in another five to six weeks’ time. If you do nothing, you will achieve exactly the same look until the leaves drop. If your plant is quite tall, rather than using a topical spray with the worries of taking a shower in the insecticide, we’d simply recommend waiting. Rake away the fallen leaf litter when it drops, and apply our systemic drench insecticides in the spring once the plant’s leafed out well. The insecticide will be taken up by the plant’s roots and work its way throughout the plant to prevent this problem next year. It’s easy, and very effective.
(And as for now, it’s already getting late to apply this drench insecticide for the year. Crape myrtles rapidly slow down their water intake in the next few weeks. Your plant will be fine next year even if you don’t spray right now.)