Crape Myrtle from seed: Leaves turning brown and curling up

[Wulfskaar]

I planted this crape myrtle from seed in the spring. It's been doing great until the last couple weeks.

Too much water? I doubt it's too little.
Fungus?
About a month ago, I started lowering my pH from 7.5 to 6.5 (roughly) because I read they prefer 5.5 to 6.5.

The only good thing I see there is what looks like new leaves emerging just above the soil level.

Any help is very much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[bwaynef]

My water's about 7.5pH and we've got some pretty old crape myrtles around. It'd likely be fine w/ whatever water you have EASY access to.

 

[Wulfskaar]

My water's about 7.5pH and we've got some pretty old crape myrtles around. It'd likely be fine w/ whatever water you have EASY access to.

Do you think the adjustment would shock the plant?

 

[bwaynef]

I doubt going from 7.5 to 6.5 would damage the plant. I do wonder if you over-corrected though.

The green on the leaves is what throws me. I would've just said that it got too hot/dry, but if that's the case, all of the leaf would be brown.

Take your water by an aquarium place and see if they'll test the pH for you.

 

[Wulfskaar]

All the leaves fell off and I was thinking it was over.

Then I noticed some new growth popping in around the twig! I'm hoping it's going to grow enough to survive. We've got a very mild winter, so I've got high hopes.

 

[AcerAddict]

Crape Myrtles are VERY hardy. Having been around them my whole life, planted and grown them as landscape trees for the past 12 years at three different homes, and now training some for bonsai the last several months, I can confidently say that you need to do a LOT to one in order to completely kill it. If you have new leaves coming, it'll make it.

Reading your original post, the only thing I can think of that stressed the tree was maybe soil that was too wet, or not enough sun. That soil looks a little compacted, though hard to tell from just a couple pics. Try switching to a more sandy/loose substrate in the spring. Remember that seedlings don't use very much water and it's easy to drown them if you're not careful. You need to make sure it's getting enough sun too. Crape Myrtles love sun and humidity, hence why they're crazy popular in the southeastern U.S. Make sure it's in a super sunny spot. Get it a little fertilizer in the spring when it starts cranking out the new growth too.

As far as pH goes, they're fine with water a little above or a little below 7.0 so I wouldn't sweat it too much. They're fine with rainwater or garden hose water. They don't care.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Thanks @AcerAddict !

It definitely gets full sun. It's done well there up until this event but I got worried it was just too much after it got crisp. Will keep it there in full sun.

I do plan to get it into better soil and a new/bigger pot in spring. Just need it to live until then!

Thanks for the calming comment!

 

[AcerAddict]

I do plan to get it into better soil and a new/bigger pot in spring. Just need it to live until then!

Thanks for the calming comment!

Glad to help. I wouldn't worry about putting it into a bigger pot just yet. Overpotting will increase the chance of it staying too soggy because it can't use up all the water fast enough. I'd leave it in the pot it's in now and reevaluate the middle of next year. You can always slip pot it into something larger if you find the roots are getting too cramped, but again, that'll depend on how fast it grows next year. Do you know which variety it is? If it's a dwarf, it'll grow more slowly than a standard Crape Myrtle will and you won't have to repot it as often.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Do you know which variety it is? If it's a dwarf, it'll grow more slowly than a standard Crape Myrtle will and you won't have to repot it as often.

I do not know the exact variety, just that the picture showed pink flowers.

 

[AcerAddict]

I do not know the exact variety, just that the picture showed pink flowers.

There's literally 50+ varieties of Crape Myrtle that have pink flowers. If you bought the seeds from someone online and they didn't specify the variety, it's probably something like Tuscarora, Sioux, or Miami. Those are all common pink-flowered CMs that are sold all over the place. None of those are dwarf varieties, but you'll enjoy the tree nonetheless. Might even want to plant it in your landscape when it gets a little bigger.

If you end up getting really into Crape Myrtles, here's a good list of varieties, sorted by mature height: https://crapemyrtletrails.org/varieties/complete-list-crape-myrtle/

 

[Wulfskaar]

Thanks @AcerAddict !

There are crape myrtle trees everywhere I look here in SoCal. I've had my eye on a few in particular that had spectacularly beautiful flowers. I will be sneaking some seeds off of those very soon.

They do grow really well here and I definitely plan on getting at least one larger one and then trying my hand at growing some more from seeds.

Thanks for the help. I really do appreciate it!

 

[Wulfskaar]

I do believe it's dead. It popped up tiny buds that were looking like they were popping out tiny leaves. Within days, that new growth had shriveled and died. I've left it but nothing has happened since. It feels like a dry stick now.

 

[Carol 83]

I do believe it's dead. It popped up tiny buds that were looking like they were popping out tiny leaves. Within days, that new growth had shriveled and died. I've left it but nothing has happened since. It feels like a dry stick now.

I'm sorry. I love crape myrtles, but they are frustrating in pots here. One didn't even start leafing out until June, I thought for sure it was dead. Even my big landscape one is the last thing to wake up in the garden.