white mold on flowering cherry

[n-green]

Tree was fine last fall according to cust. Now blooming only top 1/3 of tree. White mold easily scraped off with finger and on all bark. New growth on branches does not seem affected. No pics. Any help diagnosing is appreciated.

[Ric]

Green

My first Guess with the information given, is "Cottony Cushion Scale" which is an insect. Many people mistake it for a fungus or mold. You should be able to hose it off with a garden hose.

[Hissing Cobra]

Flowering Cherry trees are very prone to getting the White Prunicola Scale (also called armored scale). This type of insect has a hard, tortoise type shell and is very difficult to control. I recommend a program of two Horticultural Oil sprays (one in the spring and one in the fall), as well as an insecticide spray (Tempo SC) every 30 to 45 days until the scale is under control. Once it's under control, you can scale (no pun intended!) back your applications to a Horticultural Oil spray in both the spring and the fall.

Do some research on this type of scale, as it's very common. It also attacks flowering plums, euonymous plantings and others as well.

[n-green]

Thanks Guys!