Crepe-myrtle - Lagerstroemia indica

[just.wing.it]

The reason for this is that the current branches all look too similar is thickness and movement.

This is one main reason why I prefer clip and grow on crape myrtle.
Takes longer to get a cool image, but when you finally get there, your taper is great in every branch and the movement is killer.

I really like your crape though!
I can wait to bust out the scissors on mine again...

 

[Dorian Fourie]

This is one main reason why I prefer clip and grow on crape myrtle.
Takes longer to get a cool image, but when you finally get there, your taper is great in every branch and the movement is killer.

I really like your crape though!
I can wait to bust out the scissors on mine again...

Thanks JWI

I am definitely looking forward to this growing season. This tree grows so fast that I know that I will have loads of cutting days ahead of me but like you said, the taper and movement is going to be fantastic.

 

[Dorian Fourie]

This Crepe myrtle has been coming along nicely and growing well.



I decided that I need to cut it back slightly as I continue to work on thickening up some of the trunks and the ramification on the others.

 

[RobertB]

Seems like you should try and first get better taper / transition between your original cuts and your main branches or trunks. I would let them grow out as whips for several years with no pruning on the main growth tip. Keep the side branches on these whips to a minimum ( and realy the leaves on the whips too) , then cut back to beef up the tree / add some better transition taper. This will also help heal these wounds.

 

[Giga]

Very interesting tree

 

[Living Tribunal]

Had to make a double take where you live considering the flush of growth coming in January and leaves turning red in March! Nice crepe progression though, one of my absolute favorite trees to grow. These things grow like nobodies business. I like the restyling you did this last year, interested to see how it turned out. How were you able to get the decent taper that first year with so much pruning? Did you just wait for the first flush to lignify then went in during the later part of the season for the secondary branches?

 

[Dorian Fourie]

Had to make a double take where you live considering the flush of growth coming in January and leaves turning red in March! Nice crepe progression though, one of my absolute favorite trees to grow. These things grow like nobodies business. I like the restyling you did this last year, interested to see how it turned out. How were you able to get the decent taper that first year with so much pruning? Did you just wait for the first flush to lignify then went in during the later part of the season for the secondary branches?

Hi

Thanks so much.

They do grow like mad but I found that after sticking it in this small pot, the growth slowed considerably, so much so that I almost did not work on it at all this Summer that has past. In 2016 I had it in a larger pot and I let it grow and cut it back 2-3 times during the growing season and I go the initial good taper / growth. I feel that come Spring, I am going to repot it into the same pot again but without closing the holes at the bottom. That pot will then be placed onto another larger container with soil so the roots can grow into that and assist with better growth.

 

[Living Tribunal]

Hi

Thanks so much.

They do grow like mad but I found that after sticking it in this small pot, the growth slowed considerably, so much so that I almost did not work on it at all this Summer that has past. In 2016 I had it in a larger pot and I let it grow and cut it back 2-3 times during the growing season and I go the initial good taper / growth. I feel that come Spring, I am going to repot it into the same pot again but without closing the holes at the bottom. That pot will then be placed onto another larger container with soil so the roots can grow into that and assist with better growth.

You hit the nail on the head on the proper progression for a crepe myrtle, and quite honestly most other rapid growth decidious trees.

Crepe myrtles are deceiving because they grow so insanely fast and you think you can get away with adding two sets of branching in the development phase. Lord knows taper doesn't discriminate!

I like your plan for placing the bonsai pot in a larger container to reinvoke vigorous growth on a tree stepping out of the development phase. Keep us posted!

 

[Dorian Fourie]

You hit the nail on the head on the proper progression for a crepe myrtle, and quite honestly most other rapid growth decidious trees.

Crepe myrtles are deceiving because they grow so insanely fast and you think you can get away with adding two sets of branching in the development phase. Lord knows taper doesn't discriminate!

I like your plan for placing the bonsai pot in a larger container to reinvoke vigorous growth on a tree stepping out of the development phase. Keep us posted!

Definitely will do

I took a quick picture of it this morning. Its mid winter here so nothing is really happening. The main trunk is starting to become slightly thicker then the rest which is my goal as all of the branches were almost identical. I think I am on the right track and come Spring and getting it repotted will speed things up slightly. I do not want to rush it too much as the goal is ultimately to improve the branch structure and ramification