*SOLVED* Fuzzy White Stuff Destroying my Shrubs? *PICS*

[Lavender2]

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Here are some pictures of my lilacs in 2012. After I washed them down with baking soda water and it came back - it was NOT in any specific pattern nor did it necessarily go back in the same spots. As you can see, it just "grows" wherever it chooses. In the summer, it gets worse, continuing to move up the branches but never gets to the leaves. I thought perhaps it was bugs of some kind, so I tried the horticultural oil, but that didn't help either. And as I said, I tried the white powdery mildew treatment - and that didn't help. The company that guarantees the product I purchased said it is definitely NOT white powdery mildew. The leaves are unaffected. When it gets at its worst, it is soft and fluffy and falls off fairly easily to the touch. If I'm trying to trim or spray, and I brush up against it, it comes off onto my clothing. But I don't remember it blowing off in the wind. I'm not sure what else I can tell you about it. I don't have a camera that I can get a REAL closeup picture. I guess I'll just have to hope that someone at the Penn State Extension will be able to help me - and not just tell me it's white powdery mildew.

Possibly scale? Cooperative Extension (link)
I think there are other types of scale that may host on lilacs also ... UMN extension
Because the leaves are not affected, it seems unlikely to be powdery mildew . Good luck!

ETA: It would probably be a good idea to positively ID the culprit at your Extension and get advice on controls for your particular area.... WPS

 

[Smart Red]

Scale was my best guess at your problem. And, while the dormant oil spray would, indeed, kill (ie. smother) the scale it, wouldn't show much difference in the plant for a while so you might not have thought that the problem was solved.

 

[ninnymary]

Welcome back Critterhill and glad to meet you. Hope you stay a while this time.

Mary

 

[PaulS]

Good afternoon! I discovered this site as I searched for the cause of a white growth I just noticed on old family lilac (I am at least the third generation to grow it). Exactly as described and pictured here. This is the ONLY site that I have found that talks about it. Has anyone confirmed what it is yet? I know the title says "SOLVED" but it doesn't sound like it was conclusively. Any insight will be much appreciated!

 

[Nyboy]

welcome pauls

 

[journey11]

Good afternoon! I discovered this site as I searched for the cause of a white growth I just noticed on old family lilac (I am at least the third generation to grow it). Exactly as described and pictured here. This is the ONLY site that I have found that talks about it. Has anyone confirmed what it is yet? I know the title says "SOLVED" but it doesn't sound like it was conclusively. Any insight will be much appreciated!

This one is before my time here even. I frequently see lichens growing on branches of old lilacs and trees that aren't thriving (a symptom, not the cause), bit this doesn't look like that. I will bet scale insects as well. I've had them on my epiphylums and it looks much the same. They are dry and flaky with no squish to them. Dormant oil or insecticidal soap will work. If your getting this blistering sun and heat that we've had, you might want to do a small test area first and apply in the cool of the evening. It can fry the leaves.

 

[so lucky]

There are lots of kinds of scale type insects, and some plants just seem to attract it. We lost two wahoo trees to euonymus scale several years ago. And since it was rather wood colored, we didn't catch it till too late.

 

[PaulS]

Ding - ding - ding ... scale was the correct answer! I ended up finding it on another site ... the pictures and descriptions were identical ... I am dealing with white prunicola scale. Never heard of it before, but now I got it. Tried washing it off with water pressure followed by an insecticidal soap. Sounds like repeated treatments "may" be effective ... otherwise the prevailing advice is to call a professional who "might" be able to deal with it. Thanks for your quick courteous responses!

 

[so lucky]

One of those unwelcome happenstances: I checked on my crepe myrtle today and it seems to have some kind of mealybug/scale thing going on. White cottony stuff on stems. The wind is blowing too hard to try to spray it this evening, but it will get some dormant oil and ....something... tomorrow.