Calling the Crepe Myrtle Experts

[Maiden69]

I have a dwarf crepe myrtle that I bought at Home Depot spring 2022, I think the name was Crimson Queen or something similar. I tried searching but no luck finding anything. It has bright red flowers with golden yellow stamens, and the leaves are very large for a dwarf size crepe. For those of you that have developed crepes from young plants, how often do you cut back on them? This one was cut back on my move last November, but it is already in full leaf and it really takes a lot of real state in the small patio I have at the apartments, blocking a lot of sun from the rest of the plants there. I plan on rearranging it again and placing it in the far back corner to prioritize sun to the pines and elms, and I am really debating weather to use this one for our front yard or back yard once we move into the house because of the huge leaves. I may try to see if the reduce size once moved into a pot.

I removed the tree from the nursery soil spring 2023 and potted into a Rootpouch with my "field growing soil" 50/50 Monto Clay/Bonsai Block from Bonsai Jack. It was wired into a piece of plywood, as I was out of tiles, my preferred material. Did a hard cut back and placed it on the grow bed.

Below are a few pics I have of it right now. More to follow as soon as I can get some time.

July 2023 -





Trunk Feb 2024

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Well... as you can tell they grow like mad. I pinch buds as soon as two leaves unfold from the shoot. If you do this you will develop tight ramification and keep the leaves quite small. However, it will never bloom. The only way to get it to bloom is to allow the spring growth to run, let it bloom, and then cut it back hard or defoliate in the summer immediately after bloom.

 

[johng]

pruning is required to develop small leaves... If you would like a much smaller tree you can drastically prune as well...then use the technique BN suggested to maintain small foliage.

 

[Maiden69]

Thanks both, I think I have a path now. I'm probably going to let it grow in order to get a thicker flare and flatter nebari, especially since I am noting some twisting at the bottom of the trunk then cut hard and start pinching. I wonder how some people are able to have a Natchez with tight ramification AND flowers on it... Maybe it's time to acquire a few different cultivars, I was looking at a few miniatures, but they rarely develop a thick trunk from the pics I have seen online.

 

[johng]

Thanks both, I think I have a path now. I'm probably going to let it grow in order to get a thicker flare and flatter nebari, especially since I am noting some twisting at the bottom of the trunk then cut hard and start pinching. I wonder how some people are able to have a Natchez with tight ramification AND flowers on it... Maybe it's time to acquire a few different cultivars, I was looking at a few miniatures, but they rarely develop a thick trunk from the pics I have seen online.

I would like to see a Natchez with tight foliage and blooms I have let one or two branches run to get blooms on full size CMs but the problem is that will usually ruin the taper on that branch. I have several dwarf varieties that bloom every year and are able to maintain tight foliage...

 

[Maiden69]

John I have seen two, one is at the NC Arboretum. The other one I can't remember where I saw it, I think someone posted it here, but I can't find the post. Natchez is my favorite, that peeling bark is amazing in person. same as Luma Apiculata, which I have managed to lose 2 of them back to back... I need an indoor set up to grow that one, even here in TX.



Bad pic below, I can't open pinterest here.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I have let one or two branches run to get blooms on full size CMs but the problem is that will usually ruin the taper on that branch...

This is my experience as well. At least with the full size varieties. If you let the growth run in order to get blooms you get long leggy internodes that you really don't want to keep for a mature tree. So I kind of think of crepe myrtles as a tree you keep for the beautiful exfoliating bark and ignore the blooming potential.

 

[johng]

John I have seen two, one is at the NC Arboretum. The other one I can't remember where I saw it, I think someone posted it here, but I can't find the post. Natchez is my favorite, that peeling bark is amazing in person. same as Luma Apiculata, which I have managed to lose 2 of them back to back... I need an indoor set up to grow that one, even here in TX.

View attachment 535022

Bad pic below, I can't open pinterest here.
View attachment 535023

I'm familiar with this tree...Arthur is good friend...I'll ask him his secret next time I get a chance. He may just be letting a couple new branches run each year just for blooms but the picture suggests it might be different.
That tree is also bigger than the pic makes it look... I suspect that one is over 3' tall and probably takes two people to move.

 

[namnhi]

I have quite a few volunteers that I put in the pot. They are the most forgiven species I have ever seen. You can cut them back to no leave and they will grow new buds in a week or so. I can do the hard cutback at least 3 times in our growing season. What you will end up with is a very neat well ramified tree. The problem with not cutting back (allow the tree to grow unchecked) is your interior and low branches will die off.

 

[BrianBay9]

I'm familiar with this tree...Arthur is good friend...I'll ask him his secret next time I get a chance. He may just be letting a couple new branches run each year just for blooms but the picture suggests it might be different.
That tree is also bigger than the pic makes it look... I suspect that one is over 3' tall and probably takes two people to move.

I just acquired my first CM's over the winter and was planning to approach them this way. Year 1, one third of branches left to run and flower while the rest are cut back. Year 2, different third left to run. Year 3 complete the cycle. I'd be very interested if that was the approach he tried and how it worked.

 

[namnhi]

I just acquired my first CM's over the winter and was planning to approach them this way. Year 1, one third of branches left to run and flower while the rest are cut back. Year 2, different third left to run. Year 3 complete the cycle. I'd be very interested if that was the approach he tried and how it worked.

Be careful with that... the ones you cut back could give up and die while the one you didn't cut will extend and grow strong. This will certainly happen if the strong branches shading out the ones you cut.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Well... as you can tell they grow like mad. I pinch buds as soon as two leaves unfold from the shoot. If you do this you will develop tight ramification and keep the leaves quite small. However, it will never bloom. The only way to get it to bloom is to allow the spring growth to run, let it bloom, and then cut it back hard or defoliate in the summer immediately after bloom.

You pinch the new growth. Interesting. I've no desire to allow mine to bloom. So this is an interesting concept.

 

[Maiden69]

@johng , I was looking at an older natchez in the parking lot where I pick my daughter from the school bus and noticed that the flower pods are very small on twiggy branches. Not like the one I have that have thick stems (or branches) leading out from the trunk. I'm wondering if this is why it could be possible to attain flowering on a largish specimen as long as it is nicely ramified? Also, the leaves on that mature tree are no bigger than one maybe two inches. My crepe are almost 3" if not more on a "dwarf" variety.

Time to head over to the local nurseries and buy a semi decent one to work this out.

Also, I heard a few people here saying that they can be propagated from thick cuttings? There are a few outside the perimeter of the apartments I live that are about 15' maybe a little more tall, and the parking area is elevated where I can reach the crown... would a 1 - 1.5" branch end root if left in damp propagation soil? I bought a few bags of perlite and a block of coco coir for trying out cuttings this spring and sowing seeds (which won't happen due to space). If it could work I wouldn't mind doing a "night RECON mission" when the time is right.

 

[BrianBay9]

I was successful with a couple of thumb-thick cuttings from a standard CM

 

[johng]

@johng , I was looking at an older natchez in the parking lot where I pick my daughter from the school bus and noticed that the flower pods are very small on twiggy branches. Not like the one I have that have thick stems (or branches) leading out from the trunk. I'm wondering if this is why it could be possible to attain flowering on a largish specimen as long as it is nicely ramified? Also, the leaves on that mature tree are no bigger than one maybe two inches. My crepe are almost 3" if not more on a "dwarf" variety.

Time to head over to the local nurseries and buy a semi decent one to work this out.

Also, I heard a few people here saying that they can be propagated from thick cuttings? There are a few outside the perimeter of the apartments I live that are about 15' maybe a little more tall, and the parking area is elevated where I can reach the crown... would a 1 - 1.5" branch end root if left in damp propagation soil? I bought a few bags of perlite and a block of coco coir for trying out cuttings this spring and sowing seeds (which won't happen due to space). If it could work I wouldn't mind doing a "night RECON mission" when the time is right.

I haven't done it but a long time friend has rooted CM branches up to 3" in diameter with a very high success rate. He uses perlite and dome.