Lagerstromia Worth Bonsaing?

[Tidal Bonsai]

I got this Delta Jazz Crapemyrtle cheap from Home Depot because it had a fungus issue. I cleaned the bark using a 1-10 mixture of rubbing alcohol and water. After rinsing and drying, I hit it with an organic fungicide to hinder any future growth. There seems to be no ill-effects, and it is beginning to flower. I think it has a great nebari and trunk for bonsai, however this variety is semi-dwarf. Do you think this is worth using for bonsai, or will it be better suited in my front yard?

Thanks!

PS if you think it is worth using for bonsai, I was either going to:
A. Remove the thick middle branch and try a twin trunk broom/fan shape (if that exists)
B. Or remove the thick middle branch and cut the right side to the first two branches. Then regrow to make a two trunk bonsai (with a lower pad on the right)

 

[sorce]

Lager eh?

Go figure!

I like it!

Sorce

 

[GrimLore]

I got this Delta Jazz Crapemyrtle cheap from Home Depot because it had a fungus issue.

I am not sure where you are located but here they back bud on old branches all the way down to the ground when healthy. I am saying that because if you maintain it for the Summer, Fall, and Winter it could get a few well placed chops in early Spring - here they get chopped on March 1st. When they wake up they go crazy and give you a lot of material to work with.
I would not do the chops until then and honest if it where mine I would only chop it to about half height and leave the heavy branches going every which alone. From that point you will land up with a lot of new growth on them and have a very interesting plant to work with. The bad thing about the bargains as was the case with one my Wife has is they tend to also be overgrown. That requires one season of healthy growing followed by a Spring chop, and yet another Season of growth and trimming.
On a bright note I would rather have that one then the one she brought home to work with, serious

Grimmy

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Patience is the name of the game, from what I gather. I am just glad to hear that even a semi-dwarf is bonsaiable (if that is a word). I live in NJ (7a I believe), so I may need to prune a week or two earlier that the first of March.

Would this be a good time to root prune and put in a training pot as well?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I would definitely not root prune it now, wait till spring. As Grimmy stated, they grow hard, right from the trunk and base, so if anything I would chop it down to leave about 2" of each of the two trunks. You have enough growing season left to get 12" of new growth. Then root prune and do some primate branch selection next spring.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

I should have been more specific, I meant to say root prune in the spring.

Brian, are you saying I can cut the branches now and still get good growth?

Thanks for all of the help!

 

[Anthony]

I would have suggested even more patience.

Fertilise and look after for this year.

Cut down next year as Brian suggested at the correct time.

The the next year following repot.

Whatever you choose to do, best of growing.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[GrimLore]

I would have suggested even more patience.

Fertilise and look after for this year.

Cut down next year as Brian suggested at the correct time.

The the next year following repot.

Whatever you choose to do, best of growing.

Good Day
Anthony

What @Anthony said and the chops next season as Brian said.

Brian, are you saying I can cut the branches now and still get good growth?

You are in a similar climate in NJ - your growing season is no where near as long as Brian's. Grow now, Chop in March, grow again, repot the following year - that is how it works up here. The one I mentioned chopping last March is filling out and growing like a champ, the roots have grown out of the nursery container into the ground and it won't get a repot until dormant next Spring.
Where Brian lives he can get up to 10 months of growing season - not so here

Grimmy

 

[VAFisher]

It's only June. Here in VA, I would chop now as Brian suggests.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I'd chop now. You have plenty of time for another flush of growth this year. If you wait until next spring, you lost this year, and are then weakening the tree by chopping both top and bottom at the same time. CM are strong enough to handle both at the same time, but why wait when you can get started on the top now?

 

[twisted trees]

I should have been more specific, I meant to say root prune in the spring.

Brian, are you saying I can cut the branches now and still get good growth?

Thanks for all of the help!

I live in the Finger Lakes region of New York and my crepes are just starting to become vigorous. This was last year. It sat on the entrance table to the US National.

 

[twisted trees]

Then root prune and do some primate branch selection next spring.

When you leave a primate branch I assume you mean to leave a long low branch for the apes to swing on?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

When you leave a primate branch I assume you mean to leave a long low branch for the apes to swing on?

Ugh, autocorrect. Primary. But yes, if you have a tiny monkey, definitely leave a primate branch!

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

------------UPDATE------------

I took Brian's advise and did some chopping around June 26. It responded very well, and the past couple weeks it has put on a solid amount of new growth. I liked the taper and smaller diameter of the left side, so I left it much longer than the right side. I think this was the key to keeping it healthy since it had leaves to photosynthesize and put on new growth.

Now that is putting on new growth, I'm torn whether I want to leave the big pad of leaves on the left side, or if I want to cut it to the first set of new growth. The first picture is when I first made the cuts.