coating on Buddleia
By Silverdigger
Hampshire,
United Kingdom 
Could you tell me what the white coating is that has covered the trunks of an old buddleia.It is smooth and flakes off into crumbs when scratched with a finger.The plant produced several shoots with flowers this year.
thank you,
Jim
23 Oct, 2008
Answers
Sometimes we are too concious about what grows on old plants or trees, litchen, moss or fungi.
This looks like natures way of recycling nutrients back to the earth at the end of the plants life.
23 Oct, 2008
Hi Jim. I've got a couple of buddlejas but am not an expert but this fascinated me so I trolled round the web to see if I could find it. I couldn't. Apparently buds have very few pests and/or diseases so all I can suggest is that it is a generic fungus that just affects bark. If no-one has a better idea (and one of the professionals might) I'd suggest just spraying it with a fungicide. If it persists then take a cutting and start it again, it may not transmit and they do grow like the clappers. In 2 years you will have a fully functional bush again but once your cutting has struck then do burn the old bush. You never know.
John.
23 Oct, 2008