sooty mold?

Hi,
I see you are in zone 10a. I live in zone 10a also. I see the same thing on my gardenia and Jasmine on occasion for years. I usually leave it and with new growth, it some how disappears. I have not sprayed or did anything so far. I really don't know what it is, but it has not hurt my plant growth or blooms. All of my plants grow in the garden in full sun.

Hi

Thank you all for sharing. In my case ALL buds dropped,
no more flowers:-(

Very likely it's sooty mold, but we could not SEE any
visible insects, on our gardenia, which caused it. The following is from
my quick web search.

>Sooty mold grows on a substance called âÂÂhoneydewâÂÂ
>which is excreted from certain insects such
>as aphids, soft scales, whiteflies and mealybugs.

Any further suggestions? Thanks

I cannot tell if the white things are reflections or mealybugs???

David,
Organicide applied in spray bottle according to the instructions on the bottle.
Then, apply again in 10 days.
It'll be fine.

Hi

Thank you all for your helps, the white things looked like cotton balls, I could not see they are mealybugs, so probably some kind of fungus, see the attached photo.

I think this is mealybugs' eggs or smth, not fungus..if you google mealybugs you'll see similar photos of gardenias infested with mealybugs... they suck! especially with high humidity...