My mom has a crepe myrtle that was purchased (young) and planted probably 5 years. It was slow to take off because their ground is horrible, but we've been amending the soil every year, adding compost to the bed and the last couple of years it has looked great. My father also LOVES mulch, so there is mulch around the crepe myrtle. Last weekend (after a long dry spell), I noticed this whitish stuff on a couple of the shoots, near the ground. The consistency is soft, like pudding. I assumed it was a fungus and sprayed with Neem oil (which I think of more for insects than fungus, but it said it was a fungicide). The white stuff essentially "rinsed off". I think the stem looked a bit swollen where the white had been. I have not been back to check on the plant yet. But I wanted to submit the photo to try to determine what it is, and what I should be doing about it. Thank you in advance!