Is this natchez crepe myrtle dying?

I would say yes. Trees die from the top down.

Is this treatable?

Can I save the tree

That looks like black mold or lice mold to me. Go to a local nursery and show them these pics. They should be able to show you what you need to spray on it to kill the mites that are causing the mold.

Local lady recommended this
She said to drench the whole tree every 7-10 days
3 times


Just soaked it down.

Black sooty mold probably. That stuff is on about every crepe myrtle in our town this year it seems. Downtown Natchez actually had a problem with this a couple years ago and now we’re dealing with it across the river.

The black mold forms on the “honeydew” which is sugary excrement from aphids or scale when they suck on the leaves. You need to control the insect, aphids most likely, to control the mold. I would suggest an insecticidal drench (imidicloprid) in spring when the trees come out of dormancy. Another method is to make a paste of acephate (another insecticide) and apply it to the trunk of the tree near the base with the thought being that a crawling insect will have to cross the insecticide to get to the tree. I prefer the drench as it gives you a year of protection as it is systemic and absorbed by the tree through the roots. I’m a landscape contractor and commercial pesticide applicator and the drench is what I most often use.

Aphids or bark scale is the cause of the fungus The copper will kill and dry the black fungus out. When the leaves start to emerge treat with acephate monthly to prevent aphids from coming back.
If it’s bark scale I believe imidacloprid is the best solution. A soul drench of imidacloprid should take care of aphids too.

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Tree that young you should cut it way back in March anyway.

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That's a horrible thing to do to Crape Myrtles. They always look like crap after you "Crape Murder" them.

Look up Yard D Fence in Natchez and send the pic to them. Their owner was the one who saved all the trees downtown, they are a small company that gives a crap about it.