Dwarf Crepe Myrtle Clump

[Hyn Patty]

I've been dreading getting into this clump but I finally did it today. It's a 2 gallon pot filled with three dwarf crepe myrtles with I thought some handsome possibilities in the shapes of their trunks and limbs. BUT they were all potted together and root bound as hell when I got it. So today I gave them surgery and repotted them. Incidentally, a male Ruby Throated hummingbird oversaw my labors with great curiosity. It was a warm, mostly sunny day again today so I spent as much of the day outside as I could.



Here's the initial clump all together in the same pot. And they had some monster roots to cut through if I was going to get them separated. I got a large, a medium, and a small plant out of there with roots to match, after trimming out the thickest long roots.



And finally I got them all potted up before the storms come in tonight. I combed and spread the roots out as best I could but I think I'll let them settle in for the season. The largest has a nice mass of fine roots but the other two will need some followup root cutting once I can get more fine root hairs going. For the moment they were put back into nursery pots to recover as I don't yet have shallower training pots to move them into - until after our relocation. I'm sure glad to read how hardy these are to bounce back from hacking. I may even repot one or more of these together to see if I can fuse their bases into one single clump, but if I do, I will need to cut and fit them together better than they were originally arranged in the 2 gallon pot. Or maybe just the two smaller ones. I'll think about it.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I don’t know the gentic background on these but can tell you we had little luck with two dwarf crepes in our yard. They were very sensitive to late season frosts and kept getting killed back each spring. We finally dug them up and gave them away to my daughter who lived out near Raleigh. Good luck with them.

 

[Hyn Patty]

I've had them in my yard for years and they've done just fine in our climate here. /This/ particular variety is supposed to be especially cold hardy but as I will be moving up to your area, and our new home located at 4,000 foot elevation, it is my intention to take some extra precautions to protect these against hard freezes and frost anyway. Just in case. Because as you say, I'd rather not put the effort into them just to loose them. If need be they could easily over winter with my coffee, cinnamon trees, and orchids indoors. When I lived in Savannah, there wasn't a tree I loved more than the silky trunks of the crepe myrtles and how on older growth the flower clusters were small and evenly integrated within the foliage (unlike when the trees are cut back hard).

 

[just.wing.it]

Looks like some nice ones, hope they don't flinch from root work after leaves are out...
They do fuse easily in the ground.

Usually you'd want to do that bare rooting work just before buds open.

 

[Hyn Patty]

I agree, but I think they'll be fine. I have them bagged so they will be contained in their own mini greenhouses to reduce transplant shock but open just enough to discourage rot or fungus, and out of the sun while they recover. My hope is it's still early enough in the season that they'll be fine. Crepes aren't nearly as touchy as some trees. Kind of like handling privet.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I've had them in my yard for years and they've done just fine in our climate here. /This/ particular variety is supposed to be especially cold hardy but as I will be moving up to your area, and our new home located at 4,000 foot elevation, it is my intention to take some extra precautions to protect these against hard freezes and frost anyway. Just in case. Because as you say, I'd rather not put the effort into them just to loose them. If need be they could easily over winter with my coffee, cinnamon trees, and orchids indoors. When I lived in Savannah, there wasn't a tree I loved more than the silky trunks of the crepe myrtles and how on older growth the flower clusters were small and evenly integrated within the foliage (unlike when the trees are cut back hard).

Are they the Chickasaw variety? I have three different kinds of dwarf crepes and they take the cold real well. All of them were frozen solid twice this year and got snowed on, too. Very non typical for our area, and they came out unscathed.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Looks like some nice ones, hope they don't flinch from root work after leaves are out...
They do fuse easily in the ground.

Usually you'd want to do that bare rooting work just before buds open.

I was thinking the same thing, but if anything can take it, a CM will. I would have left more fine roots, they are the ones that do the work, the larger ones are just pipes for what the fine ones collect.

 

[GrimLore]

I was thinking the same thing, but if anything can take it, a CM will. I would have left more fine roots, they are the ones that do the work, the larger ones are just pipes for what the fine ones collect.

I agree, especially seeing what they do to them down South and what Crystal does to hers Looking at all three pictures though I would reduce the top of the third one further, the first two(to me) look like they have enough fine root to support the plant, the third not so much.

If Crystal had the third one in front of her the plant itself would be 1/3 the size at days end

Grimmy

 

[Hyn Patty]

I have been trimming them back to reduce the quantity of leaves and they've been treated with rooting hormone. So far they are looking as fresh as when I started, though it's early yet. It's no trouble for me to keep them sheltered this year to give them plenty of time to make roots. Yes, I believe they are Chickasaw hybrids and should be able to take freezing. The ones in my yard have certainly weathered temps in the 9 to 14 degree range without any trouble, year after year. I really wanted to dig them up and take them with me but then I found this trio already potted up and cheap. The smaller one that had the least fine root hairs was also wrapped with some sphagnum before soil was added. Or I could repot it and keep it in sphagnum only for a while, just to be extra careful.

 

[Hyn Patty]

Small update. So far all three of these are doing great and all of them are putting out new growth. I've been keeping them in the dappled shade with morning full sun, and in a garage by night so protect from chilly cold nights.

 

[pweifan]

Pictures?

 

[Hyn Patty]

I can get photos this weekend if people want to see them again so soon. They don't really look any different since the repotting from a few weeks ago, yet. The smallest one is doing fine though it hasn't put out as much new growth as the other two. I'm up to my eyeballs in loading moving containers but I'll see what I can spare time for - we begin moving our things into the new home by May 5th. I can hardly wait.

 

[pweifan]

Good luck with the move. Just post pics when there is something worth posting. Thanks!

 

[VAFisher]

These dwarf crapes are a lot of fun. My personal favorite is Pokomoke. In my experience you can be absolutely ruthless with them. I've repotted and chopped them in the middle of the summer and they seem to do just fine. These 2 pics were taken in late May and mid July last year.

 

[Hyn Patty]

Not much to see yet, as said, but snapped a couple of quick photos right before the last light of day. All three are doing well and putting out new growth. I'll be working on the roots and setting them into training trays later after our relocation when I have a chance to slow down and breath. Until then they can settle in and grow plenty of new roots for a few months. I've made no plans whatsoever as to what I am going to do with them yet in terms of shaping but I'll think about it once I'm sure they are going strong.