How do you grow crape myrtle? It needs plenty of light when grown.

The crape myrtle is a relatively well-known plant with high ornamental value. It is grown in many regions of China, and many people choose to keep it at home, but the method of growing it at home is very important. How do you grow crape myrtle? What are the cultivation methods for crape myrtle? Let us take a look below.

1. How to grow crape myrtle

If you want to know how to grow crape myrtle, you first need to understand its growth habits. The crape myrtle is a light-loving plant, so you must keep plenty of light when growing it. Of course, there are also many other things to pay attention to. The cultivation methods for crape myrtle are described in detail below, so let us continue reading.

2. Cultivation methods for crape myrtle

1. Soil selection

When you are about to grow crape myrtle, choosing the soil is the first step, and also a fairly important one, so you need to pay special attention. It is best to choose relatively fertile sandy soil. This kind of soil has good drainage, which will help the crape myrtle absorb nutrients better.

2. Fertilization requirements

In the cultivation methods for crape myrtle, fertilization is a fairly important part. Although the crape myrtle does not have very high fertilizer requirements, it is still indispensable during growth. When growing it, generally fertilize once in spring, and then fertilize once more after the leaves fall in autumn. For the fertilizer, we can choose a dedicated flower fertilizer, but it needs to be diluted before application, otherwise it can easily burn the plant.

3. Watering requirements

When caring for crape myrtle, water is indispensable, so you must water it frequently. However, when watering, you still need to pay attention to the amount of water; do not use too much. If you water too much and cause waterlogging, root rot can easily occur. When watering, just keep the soil moist.

4. Light requirements

The crape myrtle is a light-loving plant, so light is very important in the cultivation methods for crape myrtle. If there is not enough light, it may very likely fail to bloom, so when growing it you must keep plenty of light; only then can the crape myrtle grow better.

5. Pay attention to cold protection

Although the crape myrtle is a relatively cold-resistant plant, this applies to a fully grown one. During the seedling stage, you still need to do a good job of cold protection. If it is exposed to cold at this time, it may very likely be unable to grow. Everyone must remember this.

6. Pest and disease control

Like most plants, the crape myrtle is very afraid of pests and diseases. If the cultivation methods for crape myrtle are incorrect, this phenomenon is very likely to occur. If it occurs, we need to carry out prevention and control. For this, you can refer to the article on crape myrtle pest and disease control; I will not introduce too much here.

How to grow crape myrtle in winter: cultivation methods and precautions for crape myrtle

Many people like crape myrtle and usually grow it at home, but they always fail to grow it well, especially in winter when they have even less idea how to grow it. Today I will give a dedicated introduction to the cultivation methods for crape myrtle, and will also focus on telling everyone how crape myrtle should be grown in winter.

1. How to grow crape myrtle in winter

When growing crape myrtle in winter, the first thing to pay attention to is temperature regulation. Its cold tolerance is relatively poor, and crape myrtle cannot be placed in an environment below five degrees, otherwise it will die because the temperature is too low. In addition, when growing crape myrtle in winter, you also need to pay attention to fertilizer and water management, because in winter crape myrtle is in a dormant state, and at this time its need for water and fertilizer is very small. Excessive application will cause the crape myrtle to die.

2. Cultivation methods for crape myrtle

The crape myrtle is a sun-loving plant. It likes a sunny environment and also likes moist, fertile soil. When growing crape myrtle normally, the soil should have good drainage to avoid waterlogging and root rot. The best time to plant crape myrtle is March to April each year, with around Qingming Festival being the best. When planting, keep soil around its roots, water thoroughly after planting, and place it in a shady spot to acclimatize for a week.

3. Precautions for growing crape myrtle

When growing crape myrtle normally, you must pay attention: it needs to be repotted in time, otherwise root growth will be unfavorable. Repotting should be done once every two years, in spring each year. When repotting, sufficient base fertilizer should be placed in the potting soil. During the growth period, crape myrtle will also suffer from pests and diseases, mostly caused by insufficient light. Medicine should be sprayed in time, and it should also be moved to an environment with plenty of sunlight.

How to grow crape myrtle: precautions for growing crape myrtle

Crape myrtle, also known as zinnia, is a flower variety with a very good decorative effect. If you want to grow it well, it is very worthwhile to first understand some cultivation methods and precautions for crape myrtle. The following content will tell everyone how crape myrtle should be grown.

Cultivation methods and precautions for crape myrtle

1. Cultivation methods for crape myrtle: crape myrtle is a sun-loving tree species. When planting, choose an environment with plenty of sunlight, and the soil should be moist and fertile while also having good drainage. The transplanting time for crape myrtle is early March to April, with Qingming Festival being the best, followed by autumn. When transplanting, the plant should be kept with soil, leave the trunk 100 to 120 cm and cut off the upper part. After new shoots grow, select and keep the 3 to 4 main branches with the most suitable angles and let them bloom.

2. Light and watering: crape myrtle is a light-loving plant, so during the growing season it must be placed in a sunny spot outdoors. At the same time, crape myrtle also has a great demand for water during the growing season, and the soil needs to be kept moist. In spring and winter, keep the potting soil moist; in summer and autumn, water once each in the morning and evening. If there is a high-temperature season, the number of waterings can be increased.

3. Regular fertilization: crape myrtle is a fertilizer-loving plant. A potted crape myrtle lacking fertilizer will have thin and weak branches and yellow color, which will lead to weaker plant growth and fewer or even no flowers. However, too much fertilizer will cause excessive growth of branches and leaves. In the vigorous growing seasons of spring and summer, you can fertilize more; after autumn begins, fertilize less; in winter during the dormant period, you can skip fertilizing. Do not fertilize during the rainy season or at noon during high summer temperatures.

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

4. Shaping and pruning: crape myrtle has strong branching ability, and the growth of new shoots is also very large, so it is very tolerant of pruning. After crape myrtle blooms, the faded flowers should be cut off, which can extend the flowering period. At the same time, crossing branches, diseased branches, and radiating branches should be cut off in time to avoid consuming excess nutrients. Also, in order to beautify the shape, generally shorten other branches about 1 cm above a plump terminal bud, keeping about 5 cm.

5. Timely repotting: a potted crape myrtle needs its potting soil replaced once every two to three years. Use a culture soil mixed with 5 parts loose mountain soil, 3 parts garden soil, and 2 parts fine river sand. When repotting, organic fertilizers such as bone meal and soybean cake meal 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, so as not to burn the roots and affect plant growth.

After finishing the cultivation methods for crape myrtle, let us finally talk about the pest and disease control methods for crape myrtle.

Common pests and diseases of crape myrtle include scale insects, aphids, mealy aphids, and sooty mold. When crape myrtle has insufficient light and poor ventilation, it is susceptible to scale insect damage, which can also cause sooty mold, making leaves yellow and causing early leaf drop. Scale insects can be killed by spraying with 1000 times dilution of 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate, or by using 3% carbofuran granular soil for toxic control. During the plum rain season, aphids and mealy aphids often cause damage, causing leaves to turn yellow or become stained with oily filth, after which the leaves all drop off, affecting inflorescence formation. They can be killed by spraying with 40% dimethoate diluted to 1500 times, or by using 1000 to 1200 times dilution of 80% dichlorvos emulsion. If crape myrtle is infected with sooty mold, lime sulfur mixture can be used for control.