White substance on mugo pine bark

Carkybones

Sapling
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Northern va
USDA Zone
7a
I have a white powdery substance on the bark of my mugo pine. When I scrape it, it flakes off into a powder form. I also had die back on one of the main branches this year. The same issue showed on my ezo spruce last year and then branch dieback this year. Any idea what this is or recommendations on how to treat it?

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Pixar

Chumono
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Auckland , New Zealand
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Try a mixture of dishwashing liquid mixed with water and some neem oil and spray it on the affected areas
 

Shibui

Imperial Masterpiece
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Yackandandah, Australia
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I can't see any adejid in the pics.
The white at the base of the tree appears to be mineral deposit from water. As water evaporates it leaves dissolved minerals behind. Happens in many places during summer and much more where water has high dissolved mineral load.

Higher in the trunk is not clear but could be resin from a wound. Some conifers bleed a little just from growing but it can also be after pruning or if some insect has chewed into the wood. Often no problem as the trees can heal wounds naturally but check for any obvious insect attack.

I would not think it likely that a small amount of leaking resin would kill a tree or branch so look for other possible causes. Just because we see 2 things together does not mean 1 caused the other. Causes of die back are often harder to see.
 
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