bwaynef

I think they're sensitive to having their roots messed with late in the season, and before dormancy. Don't toss this one out 'til next June or July. I wasn't diligent in watering my crape myrtle last fall and the leaves on it all turned red and dropped off (a week or 2 before my landscape crapes dropped any). It then developed leaves and an early frost took them. ....Then it developed another, even tinier, crop of leaves that the cold temps were having none of. Lets say that the tree was stressed a little.

I was pretty worried about the tree during fall and winter and babied it a little more than normal, bringing it in at night for 3-4 days (<16°f for the lows for a little while). This spring I continued to water it like I did all my other trees that leafed out but it still showed no sign of life. Finally, in May it started to leaf out.

These trees are tough. Give it good care the rest of the fall and winter. Don't water it quite as much right now since it doesn't have leaves but don't count it out just yet. The "dust" may've been powdery mildew but if there aren't any leaves now theres no need to tree for it. Be careful getting the leaves wet when they'd stay wet for a few hours (watering at night?) and the powdery mildew would be less likely to reappear.

Good luck with it.

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