What are the precautions for planting crape myrtle?

To plant crape myrtle, choose a wind-sheltered, sunny spot with deep, fertile, well-drained soil. When transplanting large seedlings, keep the root ball intact and prune the branches appropriately, otherwise the survival rate will be low. Apply decomposed organic fertilizer as a base fertilizer in the planting hole, water thoroughly after planting, and water again 3 days later. Crape myrtle buds out relatively late; under normal conditions it does not leaf out until mid-April to the end of April, and newly planted specimens, because their roots are damaged, leaf out even later. So do not mistakenly assume it has not survived and give up on caring for it.

Once established, the plants need only fairly simple management. Crape myrtle is vigorous and easy to cultivate, and is not demanding about soil, but it grows best in deep, fertile sandy loam. It likes light, so it should be planted in a wind-sheltered, sunny spot or at the base of a south-facing wall in a courtyard; insufficient light not only means fewer or no flowers, but can even cause weak growth with thin branches and small leaves. Crape myrtle is fairly cold-hardy, but seedlings should be protected from cold and kept warm, while plants over three years old need no protection. Crape myrtle is drought-tolerant and afraid of waterlogging. Each year, water once with "greening water" before spring growth starts and once with "freezing water" after leaf fall in autumn; at other times, if it is not excessively dry, no watering is needed. Generally, water 1 to 3 times during a spring drought, and do drainage work well in the rainy season to prevent excessive water from rotting the roots. Do not water in autumn. Fertilize each year after leaf fall in winter and before spring growth starts; human waste or sesame paste residue is even better, and will make the plants grow vigorously the following year with large, brightly colored flowers. To make crape myrtle bloom profusely and leaf out well, prune and shape it during the dormant period. Because the flower clusters are borne at the tips of the current year's new shoots, pruning requires heavy cutting back of one-year-old branches so that nutrients are concentrated and the new shoots grow strong. Remove water sprouts, dead branches, drooping branches, diseased and pest-infested branches, slender branches and inward-growing branches. During the young tree stage, also promptly remove the side branches from the lower part of the main trunk so that the upper trunk receives sufficient nutrients and forms a good canopy.

Crape myrtle is simple to cultivate and manage, but dead branches and diseased or pest-infested branches should be cut off promptly and burned. To prolong the flowering period, promptly cut off branches that have already flowered so they sprout again and produce the next round of flower shoots. To thicken the trunk, you can cut off a large number of flower branches to concentrate nutrients on developing the trunk. Practice has shown that with proper management, crape myrtle can be pruned several times a year to make it bloom repeatedly, for as long as 100/120 days.

How to grow crape myrtle: precautions for growing crape myrtle

Crape myrtle, also known as "hundred-day red," is a flower variety with excellent ornamental effect, and to grow it well it is very worthwhile to first understand some methods and precautions for growing crape myrtle. The following content will tell you how to grow crape myrtle.

Growing methods and precautions for crape myrtle

1. Growing methods for crape myrtle: crape myrtle is a sun-loving species, so when planting, choose an environment with plenty of sunlight; the soil should be moist and fertile, with good drainage. The transplanting time for crape myrtle is from March to early April, with Qingming Festival being the best, and autumn second best. When transplanting, the plant should be kept with soil, the trunk left 100 to 120 cm and the upper part cut off; after new shoots emerge, keep the 3 to 4 main branches with the most suitable angles and let them flower.

2. Light and watering: crape myrtle is a light-loving plant, so during the growing season it must be placed outdoors in sunlight; at the same time, crape myrtle has a high water requirement during the growing season and the soil needs to be kept moist. Keep the potting soil moist in spring and winter; in summer and autumn, water once each in the morning and evening, and in hot weather the number of waterings can be increased.

3. Regular fertilizing: crape myrtle is a fertilizer-loving plant. A lack of fertilizer in potted crape myrtle will lead to thin, weak branches and yellowing color, causing the plant to grow weakly and bear few or no flowers, but too much fertilizer will cause excessive growth of branches and leaves. In the vigorous growing seasons of spring and summer, more fertilizer can be applied; after autumn begins, apply less; in winter, when the plant enters dormancy, no fertilizer is needed; do not fertilize during the rainy season or at noon in high summer temperatures.

At the same time, follow the principle of applying thin fertilizer frequently. In early March, use nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to promote new shoot growth; from late May to early June, apply a phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once to promote enlargement of the flower buds, strengthen the branches and force flowering; in late July and early September, apply a flowering-period fertilizer once each, such as cake fertilizer water, to make the flowers bloom even more brilliantly.

4. Shaping and pruning: crape myrtle has strong branching ability and a large amount of new shoot growth, so it is very tolerant of pruning. After crape myrtle flowers, cut off the spent flowers, which can prolong the flowering period; at the same time, promptly remove crossing branches, diseased branches and radiating branches to avoid consuming excess nutrients. Also, to beautify the shape, generally shorten other branches about 1 cm above a plump terminal bud, keeping about 5 cm.

5. Repotting in time: potted crape myrtle needs its potting soil changed every two to three years. Mix 5 parts loose mountain soil, 3 parts garden soil and 2 parts fine river sand to make the growing medium. When repotting, bone meal, soybean cake powder and other organic fertilizers can be used as base fertilizer, mixed into the surface layer of the soil; the fertilizer must not come into direct contact with the roots, lest it burn them and affect plant growth.

Having covered the growing methods for crape myrtle, let us finally discuss pest and disease control methods for crape myrtle.

Common pests and diseases of crape myrtle include scale insects, aphids, powdery aphids and sooty mold. When crape myrtle has insufficient light and poor ventilation, it is susceptible to scale insect damage, which can also trigger sooty mold, causing leaves to turn yellow and drop early. Scale insects can be killed by spraying with 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution, or controlled with 3% carbofuran granules in the soil. During the plum rain season, aphids and powdery aphids often cause damage, making leaves turn yellow or become covered with oily filth, after which the leaves drop completely and flower cluster formation is affected; they can be killed by spraying 40% dimethoate diluted to 1500 times, or with 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate at 1000-1200 times. If crape myrtle is infected with sooty mold, lime sulfur mixture can be used for control.

Growing methods for crape myrtle, precautions for crape myrtle.

Our family planted two crape myrtles last year, and they bloomed this summer. They are very beautiful, with a long flowering period, and I like them very much. Below I will share with you how to grow them!

Crape myrtle is a small tree native to southern Asia and northern Australia, and is a long-lived tree species with strong adaptability. The crape myrtle tree has a graceful form, a smooth, clean trunk and brilliant flower color; it blooms right in the flower-sparse season of summer and autumn, with a long flowering period from June to September, hence the name "hundred-day red," and it also has the praise "in midsummer when green shades the eyes, this flower reddens the whole hall." It is an excellent material for bonsai grown for flowers, trunks and roots; its roots, bark, leaves and flowers can all be used as medicine. Crape myrtle is the city flower of Anyang and Xiangyang, and because its tree form is not tall, it is very suitable as a courtyard ornamental tree and street greening tree. Crape myrtle has been cultivated in China for several thousand years, and in the Tang Dynasty it was already widely planted in the palace grounds of Chang'an.

[Growth habits of crape myrtle]

Crape myrtle likes warm, humid climates and light, tolerates slight shade, likes fertilizer, and especially prefers deep, fertile sandy loam. It grows well in places with slight moisture, is also drought-tolerant, fears waterlogging, and should not be planted in low, wet places with a high water table. It likes warmth and can resist cold, and has strong sprouting ability. Crape myrtle also has a fairly strong ability to resist pollution, with relatively strong resistance to sulfur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride and chlorine gas.

[Propagation methods for crape myrtle]

1. Seed propagation

The sowing method is generally suitable for mass propagation. The practice is to harvest the seeds promptly when they mature in October and dry them, store them in a small cloth bag in a ventilated, dry place, and in March of the following year soak them in warm water at 40-50 degrees for 2-3 days, then remove and let them dry briefly. Sowing is done outdoors in open ground: first hoe the seedbed soil loose and level it, open sowing furrows at a row spacing of 20-25 cm wide and about 3 cm deep, then scatter the seeds evenly into the furrows, preferably 1-2 seeds every 3-4 cm. After sowing, cover the furrows and water; take care to shade and keep moist. After about 50 days the seedlings should all have emerged; at this point water thoroughly once, and carry out cultivating and weeding, especially thinning the seedlings, that is, keeping one plant every 10-15 cm and pulling out the rest. After 1 year they can grow to 20-30 cm tall, and in the 2nd year they can flower.

2. Cutting propagation

① Softwood cuttings

This is generally done in July-August, when new branches are growing vigorously and are at their most vital, so the survival rate of cuttings at this time is high. Choose semi-lignified branches and cut them into cuttings about 10 cm long, keeping 2-3 leaves at the upper end of the branch. Insert the cutting to a depth of about 8 cm, water thoroughly after inserting, and to retain moisture and warmth cover the seedbed with a layer of plastic film and set up a shade net for shading. Roots generally form in about 15-20 days; then remove the film, keep the shade net, water appropriately during the growing period, and the branches can reach 70 cm in the same year, with a high survival rate.

② Hardwood cuttings

This is generally done from late March to early April, before the branches bud. From a vigorously growing mother plant, choose thick one-year-old branches and cut them into branches 10-15 cm long, inserting them to a depth of about 8-13 cm. Water thoroughly after inserting, and to retain moisture and warmth cover the seedbed with a layer of plastic film. When the seedlings have grown 15-20 cm, the film can be lifted and a shade net set up. Water appropriately during the growing period, and the current year's branches can grow to about 80 cm.

3. Layering propagation

Layering propagation can be carried out throughout the entire growing season of crape myrtle, with March-April in spring being better.

4. Division propagation

In early spring in March, separate the suckers sprouting from the base of the crape myrtle from the mother plant, plant them separately, and water them well and they will survive.

5. Grafting propagation

Each year in spring, before the crape myrtle branches bud, choose a thick seedling-grown plant as the rootstock. First make a vertical split at the outer part of the top of the rootstock (3-4 cm deep), and the split must be cut down from the heart of the tree; then take a scion 5-8 cm long with 2-3 buds and cut both sides of its base into a 3-4 cm wedge. The outer side of the scion should be slightly thicker than the inner side. Insert the slightly thicker side of the scion facing outward into the rootstock split, aligning the cambium, then wrap the entire scion branch completely with plastic film, leaving the bud tip exposed. This method allows branches of different colors to be grafted in layers on the same rootstock, forming a tree with multiple colors. Remove the film 2-3 months after grafting; by then the scion tip can reach 50-80 cm, and the tip should be cut short in time to prevent it from being broken by wind and to cultivate thick, strong branches. The survival rate of this cultivation method reaches over 98%.

[Precautions for crape myrtle]

1. Soil

Crape myrtle is vigorous and easy to cultivate, and is not demanding about soil, but it grows best when planted in deep, fertile sandy loam.

2. Watering

Crape myrtle is drought-tolerant and afraid of waterlogging. Each year, water once with "greening water" before spring growth starts and once with "freezing water" after leaf fall in autumn; at other times, if it is not excessively dry, no watering is needed. Generally, water 1 to 3 times during a spring drought, and do drainage work well in the rainy season to prevent excessive water from rotting the roots. Do not water in autumn.

3. Sunlight

It likes light; insufficient light not only means fewer or no flowers, but can even cause weak growth with thin branches and small leaves.

4. Temperature

Crape myrtle is fairly cold-hardy, but seedlings should be protected from cold and kept warm, while plants over three years old need no protection.

5. Fertilizing

Fertilize each year after leaf fall in winter and before spring growth starts; human waste or sesame paste residue is even better, and will make the plants grow vigorously the following year with large, brightly colored flowers.

6. Pruning

The flower clusters of crape myrtle are borne at the tips of the current year's new shoots, so pruning requires heavy cutting back of one-year-old branches so that nutrients are concentrated and the new shoots grow strong. Remove water sprouts, dead branches, drooping branches, diseased and pest-infested branches, slender branches and inward-growing branches. During the young tree stage, also promptly remove the side branches from the lower part of the main trunk so that the upper trunk receives sufficient nutrients and forms a good canopy.

7. Pests

Common pests of crape myrtle include cottony cushion scale, yellow slug moth and bagworm, and attention should be paid to spraying pesticides for control.

[Medicinal value of crape myrtle]

The bark, leaves and flowers are a strong purgative; a decoction of the roots and bark can treat coughing up blood, vomiting blood and blood in the stool. It clears heat and detoxifies; drains dampness and dispels wind; dissipates stasis and stops bleeding. It is mainly used for unexplained swellings and sores; erysipelas; breast abscess; sore, swollen throat; hepatitis; scabies and ringworm; wind-damp knee swelling; traumatic injuries; internal and external bleeding; and abnormal uterine bleeding with vaginal discharge.

[Crape myrtle for garden ornament]

1. As a small-trunk street tree and highway greening species

2. As an ornamental species for courtyards and public green spaces

3. As a species for work units and industrial and mining areas

All right, that is all from me. Friends who like it, hurry up and plant it next spring.