How to Transplant Crepe Myrtles
Crepe myrtles, a native of China, has now become quite at home in the southern United States, as well as in other countries. It's a lovely deciduous flowering tree with a delightful exfoliating bark which gives it lovely mottled and multi-hued tones of green, tan and beige. These trees can be transplanted but doing so requires a great deal of care. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Select your new location wisely. Crepe myrtles need full sun, or at least four to six hours per day of full sun, in order to thrive and produce those beautiful blooms it's known for. They also do best with moist and very well-drained soils. The crepe myrtle prefers an acidic soil but the is adaptable to other soils as well once the tree is well established.
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Choose a day when the soil is a bit moist so that the dirt will cling to the roots. Transplant the crepe myrtles when they are in their dormant stage, or sometime in the middle of winter. Dig your transplant hold big enough to accommodate a two to three foot root ball with about six to nine inches of room beneath that and at least six inches all around it. Add soil that you have softened back into the hole and fill in those extra six inches with loose soft dirt.
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Make sure the soil at the bottom of the new hole is very loose. Now dig your tree. Start with a circle around the tree that is about two to three feet around. Dig with your shovel pointing straight down so that you don't cut into any of the roots. Dig all around the roots in a clean circle, as deeply as you can.
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Lift up the tree carefully, trying not to disturb the dirt from the roots as much as you can help it. Place the tree carefully on your tarp so that it will slide over to the new location. With at least two people, pick up the corners of the tarp, while one person also holds the tree straight to avoid damaging it, and gently slide it along the ground. Stop just short of your newly dug hole.
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Measure your hole one last time. It needs to be deep enough so that the top of the root ball sits just about even with the ground. You want it to sit in the ground at the same level it did when it was in its last location. You may have to add a little soil since you dug it deeper in order to soften it.
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Place the tree in the center of the hole. Add loose dirt around the edges. You may want to add a little fertilizer or peat to this little bit of soil to make it a little bit friendlier climate for your transplanted tree. Fill the entire hole in and then water the tree until the ground won't easily absorb the water anymore. Keep it watered every few days for the first six weeks or so or until you can see that it's well established.
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Don't worry if the tree loses a few leaves or a little bit of color. Let it dry between watering and water it well every two to three days and then just give it a little time. It should be re-established in four to six weeks. For more information about caring for your crepe myrtles, see the Southern Living website at the URL listed below.
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Tips & Warnings
Always transplant in the dead of winter when the trees are dormant.
Don't over or under water the transplanted tree. Wait until the soil feels dry and then water it well which should be every two to three days.
