Trees - Crape Myrtle (page 2)
Previous Page
Back to Trees

  The question I need answered is: Are crepe myrtles supposed to be pruned yearly? I think I read somewhere they should not be pruned because it could lead to disease problems, yet everywhere I see them cut. Please clarify this for me.

  Crape myrtles do not have to be pruned yearly once they are the size and shape you desire. Many people butcher their crape myrtles every year by cutting them back to three of four feet off the ground, in search of larger flowers. In many cases, this leads to rapid new growth–and lots of it, which can lead to more problems with powdery mildew. It also makes for weak branches which often weep down under the weight of the blooms. While pruning is not really linked to disease problems, severe pruning is not a great practice. If you have standard varieties, I recommend allowing them to become trees.

  For the past two years, my crape myrtles that are next to the house, (about 8 -10 feet out) have defoliated the end of August. They are in the azalea beds. My other crape myrtles still have their leaves on them well into the fall. They don’t appear to be infested with bugs. They get morning sun up until noon but no afternoon sun. What could be wrong?

  I wonder how often you are watering these plants. If they are interplanted with azaleas, you may be giving them more water than they need, and possibly having a problem with powdery mildew. If you have a white powdery growth on the leaves, this is powdery mildew. Heavy infestations can cause premature leaf drop. Aphids are also common on crape myrtles and can cause a build-up of black sooty mold, but is more unsightly that anything. Crape myrtles thrive in full sun with dry conditions. If yours are still coming back strong and blooming every year, it may not be a problem. Check to see if anything has been sprayed nearby which could be causing the early leaf shed.

  I have two large crape myrtles and several dwarf. They are watermelon color and normally bloom from July until fall. This year, they bloomed in July and ceased. When I examined them, they had buds, or something resembling them, by the handful. I’d like to know why this happened, and what I can do to prevent it next season? 

  After crape myrtles bloom, they often set seed clusters, which have relatively large round seeds. If they set a copious amount of seed, it can prevent them from setting more flowers. If the flowers form early in the season, and you can reach the flower clusters, simply pruning them off can encourage more blooms. If they were indeed seeds, they should still be on your bare trees now. Many people erroneously think these need to be removed in the spring or the trees won’t bloom, but they normally fall off on their own as they begin growing in the spring.

  Enclosed are some snapshots that I have taken of some crape myrtles that I planted almost 4 years ago. Up until this year, we have had blooms and lots of foliage. We have been pruning and shaping these bushes into tree forms so that we can have a uniform hedge like tree. This year, something unusual happened. Out of six trees, only two have leafed out. They seem perfectly normal. The other trees have not leafed out but appear to have buds on them. Last year I had to spray heavily for aphids. I have washed with mild detergent and the problems then disappeared. I did not get to prune them this year until March and I have fertilized them with tree spikes, and later with potash. If you scratch the bark there is still green underneath. I was going to replace them but I think there is still life in them. What do you advise?

  The trees should have begun growing no later than early May. By now, I would consider them a lost cause. Occasionally a tree will have sap inside, or appear green under the bark for the following growing season, until all tissue dries up. It is odd that the two that survived are in the middle of the row, with dead trees on both sides. Could you have used the tree spikes too close to the main tree and burned them? How did they look going into fall. By now, you should be seeing root sprouts if the roots were alive, but the tops killed--such as from winter injury. If nothing is appearing I would cut them down. Before replanting you may want to test the soil from where a tree has died, and compare that to a sample from near a living tree. See if there is a salts problem.

  This past winter, the frost was really bad here, the last frost even zapped my crape myrtle. They had leafed out, but they have recovered and are now covered with new leaves, but I doubt they will flower. Could cold weather cause no blooms on my plants?

  Your crape myrtles should bloom this year. They bloom on the current season growth, and can be pruned as hard as you want prior to new growth in the spring without damaging flowering. The freeze damage may delay your flowers this year, but it should not prevent blooms.

  Enclosed is a leaf from my crepe myrtle. It was late blooming, and even now it has some blooms, primarily at the top. I noticed this mildew condition on the bottom of the plant, not at the top. Is this why the plant is blooming only at the top, and is that why it is late blooming?  What should I do?

  I personally wouldn’t do anything this late in the season. Many crape myrtles were late bloomers this year. Our cool, wet April and May really gave them a slow start. Check the plants all around town, many are just now peaking. The powdery mildew fungus is very common on crape myrtles, and unless you have a heavy covering, it usually is more a nuisance than anything else. The reason it is more prevalent on the bottom of the plant, is the sunlight is reduced as well as air circulation.

  When we were in Little Rock a few weeks ago, we admired the crape myrtles that grow like a tree, rather than a spreading bush. Is this accomplished by pruning? When is the correct time to do this?

  Crape myrtles vary in shape and height based on the variety as well as how they are pruned. There are dwarfs up to standards. If you have a standard, choose one to five main stems, prune everything else out. Then each season, gradually shape these branches, allowing for a full upper canopy. Prune off suckers and sprouts as they appear. Pruning is best done in late February. Winter damage may occur some years, especially since you are in the northern part of the state.

  This past week I spotted a blooming bush among a line of bushes flanking a commercial parking lot. I assumed they were all crepe myrtles but think it's too early for them to be blooming here in Hot Springs. Yesterday driving around town I saw two or three more from the car -- two were pale pink and one was a fuschia red. Can you tell me what kind of bush this might be?

  Many crape myrtles are already beginning to bloom. I think that is what you are seeing. There are many plants which are ahead of schedule this season.

  We live in Little Rock and about 5 years ago we planted 9 crepe myrtle bushes along our brick fence. These have never been satisfactory because they have never bloomed until August or even later. This spring we cut down several large trees that were shading them, in the hope that having a lot of sun would make them bloom earlier in the season. We have two crepe myrtles that are nearer the house that have always done OK. Those two have always received more sun in the summer and have been less susceptible to powdery mildew. The nine are badly infected with the mildew this year. We suspect the that the nine must be a variety that is not suitable for our climate. They have very large leaves which almost make them appear to be some type of mutant. Have we got some type of crepe myrtle that is a variety that is not suitable for this area? If they continue to bloom very late we think we should try some other type of shrub.

  I know of no crape myrtle varieties that aren't suited for Arkansas. Some of the newer varieties are resistant to powdery mildew, but all of them should grow fine here. Flowering occurs earlier in some varieties than others. Sunlight and amount of new growth can also cause variance as to bloom. In my old yard, we had two identical plants--one in the front, one in the back. The one in the back typically bloomed a week or two earlier. I think sunlight and fertility played a part. I don't see a problem with a late blooming plant, but you could add some earlier varieties in with them to extend bloom time. 'Hopi', 'Sioux' , 'Pecos', and 'Yuma' are all earlier flowering types which should also be resistant to powdery mildew.

  I planted a row of 8 crape myrtles...they are small (their stalk is about the size of a lead pencil). The untrimmed height now is about 4 feet. Are they too young to trim? I want them to eventually provide a privacy fence between five and eight feet tall.

  They are not too young to trim. When crape myrtles are young is the time to get their branching structure formed, and then the need to prune every year should decrease. Trim to encourage a strong network of branches, and to get stronger branches. If you leave a lot of then twiggy growth, the resulting branches will also be weak. Do your pruning any time between now and the time new growth begins.

  My Crepe Myrtles are covered with a black, sticky film. I've purchased Ortho Daconil but the label doesn't list Crepe Myrtle. Should I use Daconil on my Crepe Myrtle?

  The problem is sooty mold, but the reason you have it is because you have aphids. These sap sucking insects give off a sweet sticky substance called honeydew. Wherever you have honeydew, you will get the black sooty mold. control the insects and don't worry about the mold at this stage.

  I have several large crape myrtle trees around my home. They are constantly sending up sprouts. Can I spray them with Round-up to control them? How long should this prevent sprouting?

  I would not advise using round-up on the sprouts. If they are sprouts that came up by seed away from the tree, it wouldn’t hurt. Most of the sprouts are root sprouts and are attached to the roots of your main plant. Glyphosate products such as Round-up, work by entering the foliage and then move down to the root system. While the spray wouldn’t kill a large plant, you could have some damage. Sprouts are a fact of life with crape myrtles. Heavy mulching can reduce it, but just keeping them cut or mowed should suffice.

  Help!! My lovely crape myrtle, which is in full bloom, is sick! It doesn’t have powdery mildew for once, but the trunk is shedding. There are huge sheaths of thin bark which come off in layers of scales. What can I do to prevent this? Will it cause my tree to die?

  Your tree is perfectly normal, it has simply come of age. Crape myrtle trees shed old bark as they age, leaving behind wonderful shades of tans, grays and browns. This smooth, mottled look, gives the crape myrtles character, and makes them as attractive in the winter time, as the flowers do in the summer. Enjoy this, but if the scaly bark is simply hanging on, you can help to slough it off and keep it picked up, to give a more tidy appearance.

  We had some lovely nine foot tall crape myrtles in front of our office, but they got butchered before Christmas by the landscaping crew. They are now about one foot off the ground. I am outraged, but was told this is the annual pruning that is needed. I have never heard of such a thing, but would like your opinion. Do crape myrtles need yearly pruning and this much, and is December the proper month to do it?

  No and no!! If you have standard crape myrtle varieties, I like to see them grow into trees. They have wonderful peeling bark with age, and although individual flowers may not be as large, they are more numerous, and stand upright instead of weighting the branches down. Many people in the south keep their crape myrtles pruned to a height of five feet or so, and I think that is too much–one foot is obsessive–and possibly damaging. The proper time to prune crape myrtles is late February, before new growth begins, and after winter weather has passed. By pruning in December, and that severely, it could make the plants more susceptible to winter damage, should cold weather occur. Try to encourage the caretaker of these plants to allow them to grow, and limit pruning to thinning cuts and shaping.

  Our crape myrtle has something wrong with it. All of the upper branches are covered with a mold like growth. We cut all of it off and burned it. Please advise us what treatment we should use.

  Some crape myrtles are highly susceptible to powdery mildew, and some years are better than others. This has been a great year for powdery mildew. If the entire plant is covered in it, sprays are suggested. Heavy infestations can cut down on photosynthesis, which in turn can hurt blooming. If there is only a light coverage, ignore it. Spray with Daconil, Funginex or similar general fungicide.

  Is it too early to trim back crepe myrtle bushes? I trim them every year, but I notice around town that some people have already trimmed them back for this year and I generally wait until close to springtime. 

  Many people begin pruning their crape myrtles as soon as they lose their leaves in the fall. While this can be done, I too, prefer to wait until late February. There are two reasons--one I think they look more attractive, and secondly, if we should by some chance get any real winter weather, the plants have more protection, than if they have already been pruned back. Crape myrtles have been known to be winter killed, but not in the close past, due to our mild winters. One extra word on pruning crape myrtles–if you have standard sized plants, don’t butcher them by severe pruning. Let them grow up and become mature, attractive trees. Do prune off suckers, small growths, and make some thinning cuts.

  I have a 9 month old home in Bryant. We had landscaping with crepe myrtles put in in April and they grew nicely and had plenty of blooms. I decided to do a little pruning on them, now they have stopped blooming in most branches but have plenty of little bloom pods that haven't opened. Did I send them into shock when I pruned? Also, if we decide to plant some more trees in the back yard, what is the best time of year to do this?

  Are you sure they are flower buds, and not seed pods? Dead-heading spent blooms can keep more flowers coming. When seed production occurs, it usually stops blooming.

  I have a crepe myrtle growing at the corner of my house in a very awkward spot. It is about 12 ft tall and seems to be very healthy. I would like to move it to a sunny bed in a better location. Is a tree this large a good candidate to transplant? If so, is now the right time?

  Plants of all sizes can be moved, however, the smaller they are the easier it is to do. You can move it any time between now and late February. It would be easier to move if it was pruned back at least a little. If you want to prune it and move it at the same time, you may want to wait until the end of winter, since transplanting and pruning would make the tree more susceptible to winter damage, should we have any really cold winter weather. The normal time for pruning crape myrtles is late February.

  My Crepe Myrtle are covered with a black, sticky film. I've purchased Ortho Daconil but the label doesn't list Crepe Myrtle. Should I use Daconil on my Crepe Myrtle?

  The problem is sooty mold, but the reason you have it is because you have aphids. These sap sucking insects give off a sweet sticky substance called honeydew. Wherever you have honeydew, you will get the black sooty mold. control the insects and don't worry about the mold at this stage.

Previous Page
Back to Trees