Water thoroughly. Spread inches of an organic mulch over the top of root ball to help hold in soil moisture. You can use hay, straw, leaves, pine needles, or grass clippings. You might look into doing a soil test to see what nutrients are lacking from your soil and what type of fertilizer you should use as well as the soil pH.
This will also help with diseases such as leaf spot. You may need to stake the new crape myrtle until its roots become established enough to keep it from falling over in strong wind.
Drive 2 or 3 stakes into the ground feet out from the trunk and use wire or twine to hold the trunk upright.
Cover the wire where it attaches to the trunk with a section of old garden hose, cloth or other material to prevent it from damaging the bark. The attachment on the trunk should be loose enough to allow some movement; if the trunk is not allowed to move a little in the wind it will become weak.
Supports usually can be removed after the first year. Keep the young tree well watered during its first growing season. They do like well drained potting soil. If planted in the winter months, you can water once a week. Crepe myrtles trees are cold hardy to some extent but be sure to check each varieties USDA plant hardiness zone to make sure it will survive in your area.
Planted during the growing season, a crape myrtle should get watered every 2 or 3 days for 3 or 4 months. The most common reason for a newly planted crape myrtle tree to die is the lack of enough water. Crape Myrtle Care Maintenance Once established after a year of growth , crape myrtles can tolerate dry spells and should not need any supplemental watering in climates that average at least 20 inches of rain per year which is all of the eastern US and much of the West.
Crape myrtles benefit from an annual application of fertilizer, such as Nutricote Total Controlled Release Type Fertilizer Pruning Some varieties of crape myrtle tend to produce suckers, slender fast growing shoots, at the base of the tree.
If your desire is for a standard single trunk tree shape, the suckers should be pruned off as they appear. Otherwise, the tree may take on the natural shape of a crape myrtle bush, shrub, or small tree with multiple trunks. Crape myrtles bloom on their new growth each year, so any pruning of the main tree as opposed to removing basal suckers should be done during late winter when the tree is not growing.
Severe freezes can kill the plant if it is not fully dormant. It is a common misconception that crape myrtles require pruning in order to flower.
This is not only false but has also resulted in virtually millions of plants being pruned very aggressively, a practice commonly referred to as "crape murder. In addition, aggressive pruning leads to increased suckering shoots arising from below-ground roots which is not only undesirable but it could result in powdery mildew spreading from the suckers to the canopy of the tree.
Aphids are also attracted to the succulent growth which results from aggressive pruning. It is far better to plant dwarf, or semi-dwarf varieties which grow to desired mature heights than to continue fighting with a more vigorous, larger cultivars planted in a too-small space. If you choose to prune however, follow the simple steps: First, remove suckers from the base of the plant.
Second, as the tree grows, remove lower branches form the bottom third of the tree to expose the trunk character.
Last, remove crowded or crossing branches from the canopy. The seedheads are an attractive feature and should be left on the tree. As the new growth pushed in the spring, the seedheads fall off.
Some folks find that objectionable; if desired the seedheads can be removed by heading back to above where a leaf joins the stem, or if no leaves are present, just above a lateral bud. On some cultivars, pruning to remove spent flower blossoms after they fade will stimulate new growth and another blossom flush in late summer. A second bloom is sometimes difficult to force on cultivars that bloom after mid-July.
Crape myrtles in tree form make wonderful accent plants or specimen trees. Many cultivars develop attractive trunks with exfoliating bark that add interest to the winter garden. To develop a tree shape, select three to five radially-spaced branches slightly leaning to the outside, these will become the main trunks.
Then remove side branches from these shoots about halfway up their height. As the plant grows taller, more lower branches can be removed each year so the canopy begins 3 to 4 feet above ground level. You may also need to remove suckers new young succulent spouts that grow from the base periodically in order to maintain the desired tree shape. Some landscapers apply a synthetic plant growth regulator, called NAA naphthalene acetic acid , to suckers after pruning to prevent them from re-sprouting.
Several diseases occur on crape myrtle including powdery mildew, Cercospora leaf spot, root rot and sooty mold. Powdery mildew is the most widespread and serious disease.
Powdery mildew typically develops in late spring and fall and is associated with warm day and cool night temperatures and high humidity. Leaves, young shoots and flowers are heavily coated with a powdery, white mold that can distort new growth. Infected flower buds may not open, and severely infected leaves and buds often drop early.
The other most damaging disease is a leaf spot caused by the fungus Cercospora lythracearum. Dwarf and medium crepe myrtles are also ideal for planting around the house or by windowsills. Larger varieties are more suitable as individual plants. Place them away from your house, poles, and lines to avoid hazards. There are so many varieties of crepe myrtles to choose from, so make sure to get the type that is suitable for the purpose you intended.
As much as possible, plant crepe myrtle where the sun can reach it in the morning to dry out the dew on the plant. Crepe myrtles like to stay dry. It is best to plant crepe myrtles in the early to late spring, but early summer planting could also work in certain conditions. If you will plant them as individual plants, give the crepe myrtle about 8 to 10 feet 2. For crepe myrtle hedges, plant them 4 to 6 feet 1.
When planting from containers, water the crepe myrtles first before transplanting to help aid in the absorption of moisture when they are put in the ground. Do not plant them too deep. The top part of the ball should be about an inch 2. Gather cuttings from first-year growth along the mature stems or trunk. More ideally, get the cuttings from the suckers which shoot out from the bottom of the tree. Get cuttings of about 4 to 6 inches 10 to 15 cm each.
Cut each one just below a node nodal cutting. Leave the top 2 or 3 leaves from the cutting and remove the rest. Use a rooting medium such as wet sand or seed starter soil and stick the cuttings in it.
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