20 bucks? Crape myrtle project

[Txhorticulture]

I saw this crape at local nursery for 20 bucks, had a single trunk , good base and nebari decent thickness on trunk.

Now not sure how or when to mess with it. It's badly under potted. Sure rootball is a nasty mess.

I could bare root it chop it put it in a training pot

I could partially bare root it pot up in new mix and grow it out

I could slip pot it and grow it out

Any other options or plans?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

You can hack away at the top now, but any root work until spring is foolish.

 

[GrimLore]

You have a different growing season then I do. here it would be a prune and wait until Spring. Dario could help you with better info. Still it is a good find for the money so be patient - it could be nice indeed

Grimmy

 

[jkd2572]

T
Leave the roots alone until spring. You can chop it now and you still have time for new shoots to form. They grow like weeds. I once chopped a full grown one in the landscape this time of year. By the time fall came around it had new 5 ft extensions.

 

[QuintinBonsai]

I'm thinking I would remove the right forking branch. I believe that would provide more movement to the trunk.

 

[bonsairxmd]

Just curious as to what variety yours is?

 

[Txhorticulture]

Cultivar

Pot said 'Miami' on the side ...

 

[MrFancyPlants]

The trunk on the left is the straight boring trunk with no taper. Go for the one on the right and then reposition the planted angle when you repot next spring. Just my opinion, but it would generate a lot more interest.

 

[Poink88]

Check this thread...
http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?11368-New-crepe-myrtle

I re-chopped mine around August last year and it grew about 5 feet before fall.

 

[Txhorticulture]

Chopped it.

Well i chopped it pretty good, leaving only a few branches with foliage that will later be sacrificed.

I didn't disturb roots much at all just thoroughly rinsed away the old container media with a hose.

I put it in a big clay container in a standard potting mix and a healthy dose of fertilizer and here she is.

Have a feeling this will be a nice tree the bark is already beginning to show the mature exfoliating character, has a nice nebari (slightly buried now) and the trunk has some good movement decent taper.

 

[Poink88]

I'd go a bit further and chop as marked. Believe me, it will sprout everywhere and thank me later.

As-is, those branches will just extend out and you won't get anything useable in the future (except for the branch thickening). Do it once, do it right.

 

[GrimLore]

I will agree with Dario on the chop and in addition would leave the lowest small branch on it until Spring. That plant has good potential and there is no reason to sit back and meditate on it like some of my "less desirable".

Grimmy

 

[Txhorticulture]

Your tree

Poink i just now checked the link to your tree. I like it. You started with a pretty substantial tree. How is it doing now?

I took half your advice chopped the top down a little more but i left the other branches, i just want them "as is" to keep the tree strong help heal the chop wounds. They will be sacrificed eventually.

 

[QuintinBonsai]

Well i chopped it pretty good, leaving only a few branches with foliage that will later be sacrificed.

I didn't disturb roots much at all just thoroughly rinsed away the old container media with a hose.

I put it in a big clay container in a standard potting mix and a healthy dose of fertilizer and here she is.

Have a feeling this will be a nice tree the bark is already beginning to show the mature exfoliating character, has a nice nebari (slightly buried now) and the trunk has some good movement decent taper.

Nice one. Yes, you could have gone with MrFancyPlants's suggestion, but the left branch seemed more in tune with the flow of the base. The right branch had too much of a dynamic bend IMO.

 

[Txhorticulture]

Thanks

I don't have a vision for the crown or lower branches. It has some some pretty big wounds and i want it to smooth over pretty well. If that means two years in the big pot thats fine. When i do the first root reduction and put it in a training pot it will be almost done. Now i just want it to grow grow grow !

 

[QuintinBonsai]

I don't have a vision for the crown or lower branches. It has some some pretty big wounds and i want it to smooth over pretty well. If that means two years in the big pot thats fine. When i do the first root reduction and put it in a training pot it will be almost done. Now i just want it to grow grow grow !

Cut paste should help to callous those wounds.

 

[Txhorticulture]

No paste

I don't have cut paste. I have grafting seal i use for grafting acer palmatum. But I think these heal over themselves pretty quickly.

In any event i only re-posted to share that this one is budding all over trunk and remaining branches like crazy.

I am thinking ill just let it go nuts and do nothing but water and fertilize periodically for a year or two, maybe three.

This variety is vigorous and doesn't have super small leaves, so i think i want it to be pretty substantial before it gets another chop and goes into a training pot.

 

[Txhorticulture]

Update

I guess i chopped it down to that trunk 6 weeks ago. In that time the longest shoots have grown to more than 3 feet. It's hard to see the trunk now under all the new growth. It's already starting to cover up those large pruning wounds.

I'm not sure about what the next step is. I'm leaning towards reducing the roots in spring to get rid of largest woody roots, wiring lateral branches but not pruning them, pruning the highest branches severely and giving it another year in a larger pot.

Any ideas?

 

[Great Falcon]

Same here,

I saw this crape at local nursery for 20 bucks, had a single trunk , good base and nebari decent thickness on trunk.

Now not sure how or when to mess with it. It's badly under potted. Sure rootball is a nasty mess.

I could bare root it chop it put it in a training pot

I could partially bare root it pot up in new mix and grow it out

I could slip pot it and grow it out

Any other options or plans?

I got my crepe myrtle for ten bucks is gonna be a challenge but from here on its just fun, I chop it off on the top for now, and I will work on roots in spring, for now I'm gonna protect it from winter frost, I'm keeping my fingers crossed, cuz I know it really needs repotting.

 

[Great Falcon]

I found this ugly thing myself

I saw this crape at local nursery for 20 bucks, had a single trunk , good base and nebari decent thickness on trunk.

Now not sure how or when to mess with it. It's badly under potted. Sure rootball is a nasty mess.

I could bare root it chop it put it in a training pot

I could partially bare root it pot up in new mix and grow it out

I could slip pot it and grow it out

Any other options or plans?

I found one almost the size as yours but had 4 trunks, and few days ago I got this other one, I'm cleaning it and maybe work on it next growing season, tell me what you think.