Crepe Myrtle Sick??

Well -- I am pretty sure it is can I fix it? I just bought it (I KNOW -- but I had to have one and they were $15 and I think I can fix it... I can't help it LOL!)So it looks like blackspot on roses but is that what it is? What can I do about it?

This is powerdy mildew from overhead watering, similar to black spot.......myrtles need to be watered at the root and have good circulation around them......trim off the offending leaves and use a fungicide on the plant...the pic I am sending is one of my favorites, on my property ...........enjoy

Gosh, Jackie that is a beautiful crepe Myrtle .Congrats.

Hi Mystic,
I notice you live in zone 7a. I didn't know that crape myrtles would live through the winter up there. Learn something new every day.... Down here, just north of Houston, powdery mildew and crape myrtles go hand in hand. (And, I swear, every crape myrtle comes with its own colony of aphids.) Powdery mildew is a fungus, but it's not like other fungi in that it doesn't require the moisture vector. It also doesn't go deep into plant tissue. I did some research awhile back, and after learning more about it, I tried something different on my own. Now, I know this will start a big discussion because it is so contrary, but I actually kept spraying them with water to see what would happen - since, as I learned, water is not required to germinate powdery mildew. And surprise! It worked. My powdery mildew gradually went away. Maybe it was a fluke. Maybe not. OK, start blasting. I've also found that a little baking soda mixed with water and sprayed onto the leaves will hold it at bay. I'm not an "organic" gardener but I sure hate to use any bigger gun than is necessary to get the job done. And if the plant is just going to keep offending my tendency to be a little on the lazy side - Grow, it's gone. Now, y'all, please be kind.....

PS Since it is so late in the season, and the crape myrtle is going to lose its leaves very soon, I would do nothing.

I grow the crepe myrtles here in zone 7 also. They are going to lose their leaves and appear dead throughout the winter. You won't see new growth until spring and it will be killed again with a late frost. Don't give up on it. My crepe myrtles are pretty resilient. I move them around when they are young and they spring right back. I had a little offshoot of only a couple of inches high with flowers on it this year. I dug it up and moved it and it is doing well. They are pretty hard to hurt and mine have more problems with the Japanese beetle than anything. I haven't noticed any other insects bothering it at all.
You may want to replace the soil and wash it off the roots just in case it has something in the soil causing this. You might be better off planting it where you want it to grow and heavily mulching the area around it to give it a better chance of surviving being planted this late.

LOL! I planted this guy in September. I had a couple differnt thinkings on what that spotting was. In the end I didn't worry about it too much and planted him where I want him. I am going to trim it back in the spring and see what happens. Thanks all!!

Heather