How Do I Plant a Crape Myrtle Tree
Crape myrtle thrives in sunny, summer heat that would cook other trees. Better yet for folks who live in hot climates, the hotter it gets outside the more enthusiastically this small tree produces its characteristic large flower clusters -- lovely, long lasting white, pink, lavender and red flowers. Crape myrtle blooms best in fairly good, acidic soil but can tolerate poor soil and, once established, even drought conditions. Too much water and fertilizer, in fact, support vegetative growth at the expense of flowers, so avoid being too generous once your crape myrtles are well started. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Garden spade
- Garden shovel
- Garden fork if needed
- Work gloves
- Trowel
- Garden gloves
- Pine straw for mulch
Instructions
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Choose a planting site in full sun. Heavy shade will prevent blooming, and even a few shady hours per day will diminish it. Allow adequate space for mature trees' height and spread.
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Dig the planting hole two to three times wider than the root ball but no deeper than its height; in heavy clay or poorly drained soils dig a hole 1 or 2 inches shallower, so the planted tree will be slightly above the level of the surrounding ground. If sides of the planting hole are "glazed," or slick and impenetrable, break them up with a digging fork.
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Make sure the root ball of your new crape myrtle is fully moist before planting. Remove the small tree from its container by first laying it down on its side. Slide the pot away from the root ball instead of pulling the tree out by its trunk, which can fatally separate the upper tree from its roots.
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Place the tree, lifting or rolling it by its root ball, in the center of the planting hole. Make sure the tree stands straight. Backfill the hole only with soil removed earlier, gently tamping it, until the hole is level with surrounding ground. Make a berm or "water ring" around the outer edge of the planting hole that stands 3 or 4 inches high.
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Water the entire planting hole deeply, to fully settle the soil around tree roots. Direct water to the tree's roots by filling the berm basin three or four times. Water newly planted trees once weekly for two or three months, and also during dry periods for at least the first two seasons. Cut back on irrigation in autumn to allow new growth to harden off before winter.
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Mulch young trees by adding 3 to 4 inches of loose pine straw to the planting basin. Pick up dried pine needles by the handful and allow them to drop loosely into the basin; water mulch thoroughly to settle it. Allow the irrigation berm to erode and disappear over time, but maintain the mulch layer.
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Tips & Warnings
Select a crape myrtle "sized" for the space available for it to grow, and only minor pruning will be needed.
Crape myrtles grown in sandy soils will need to be watered more frequently.
Use neem and other horticultural oils as alternative to fungicides to control powdery mildew on crape myrtles.
Shade, too much water, or fertilizer and lack of heat will promote crape myrtle vegetation and reduce flowering.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit white crape myrtle image by tomcat2170 from Fotolia.com
