Crape Myrtles have taken the South by storm. This beautiful deciduous tree hailing from China has really become a favorite plant in the deep Southern United States. With color varieties that vary from light pinks to deep reds, it seems as though everyone wants Crape myrtles in their landscaping. Because they are such hardy plants, they require little maintenance to keep them thriving. If you are looking into adding some to your yard, here are some general tips on how to best care for them.
If you are lucky enough to live in the South, a Crape myrtle would make a beautiful addition to your yard. Now that you know the basics of how to care for one, the only thing left is to choose the right color.
Regardless of which one you choose, give them a little TLC and they are sure to bring loads of beautiful blooms into your life.
- Fertilizers – These hardy trees will thrive in just about any soil, though they do best in soil that has a pH level of at least 4.5 to 7.5. However, even if you plant them where the soil isn’t the best, they will still only need minimal fertilizer. For the older plants and the plants that look as though they need a little fertilizer, you can give them a light dosage of 5-10-5 fertilizer in the springtime just as the growing starts to happen, that should help them right along. This link talks more about fertilizing your crape myrtle.
- Water – Crape myrtles, especially older, well established ones, are really drought resistant. They tend to thrive with little water at all. These remarkably tough trees like soil that drains well, and they really don’t like being over watered.
- Sunshine – The many varieties of Crape myrtles that exist really prefer to be planted in full sunshine, they tend to like the heat of the Southern days. If you are going to be adding some to your landscaping, look to place them in the sunniest spot you can find.
- Pruning – As far as growing a strong base structure, Crape myrtles can handle this quite well on their own. But pruning can help to concentrate the growing and enhance the overall look of the tree. You will want to prune off any dead branches or twigs growing out from the base of the tree. Also look to remove any small spindly twigs from inside the foliage. When you have identified the main stems, you will want to continue to remove any new growth from the lower portion of the stems as it grows. You can thin out the foliage in order to allow light and air to circulate through the tree to prevent disease. If the tree is in a cooler climate, additional thinning of the top canopy may be needed to allow extra light in to the tree base.
- Flowering – In order to facilitate the maximum amount of blooms you can get from your tree, you will want to take care not to over water your tree or use too much fertilizer. Likewise, too little sunlight and too cool of a climate can prevent it from flowering as well. Any of these conditions will make the tree grow extra foliage but not blooms.
- Disease – There is a common problem that Crape myrtles experience from time to time, it is powdery mildew. Although some varieties of Crape myrtles can resist the mildew, many cannot. You might first notice a light grey powdery film on the leaves or the new buds in the spring, this may be the beginning of powdery mildew. Powdery mildew is a fungus and actually damaged the trees ability to use photosynthesis for nourishment. You can combat this fungus with a good fungicide which is labeled for mildew. Treat it weekly as per the directions until the flowers begin to open.
- Aphids – These little greenish yellow insects are a popular food for a lot of other larger insects. They are terrible for the Crape myrtles because they suck out the sap from the trees leaves and bark. A side effect of these little critters is the honeydew drops that they drip everywhere as they eat the sap. These drops can drip onto the surrounding area and stain furniture, cars, and patios. One natural aphid killer is the beautiful ladybug. Many farmers like to see ladybugs around because they know wherever they are, the aphids will be gone. If you find that you have aphids, you can use some insecticidal soap like Safer’s to spray onto the trees to help kill the aphids.
If you are lucky enough to live in the South, a Crape myrtle would make a beautiful addition to your yard. Now that you know the basics of how to care for one, the only thing left is to choose the right color.
Regardless of which one you choose, give them a little TLC and they are sure to bring loads of beautiful blooms into your life.