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Cultivation Methods and Key Technical Points for Queen's Crape Myrtle

Growing Techniques By Emily Carter 0 views
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Queen's Crape Myrtle, also known as Giant Crape Myrtle, Latin name: Lagerstroemia speciosa Pers., of the family Lythraceae and the genus Lagerstroemia, is a large tree reaching up to 25 m in height; the bark is gray and smooth; the branchlets are cylindrical, hairless or slightly covered with scurfy hairs. The leaves are leathery, oblong-elliptic or ovate-elliptic, rarely lanceolate, very large, with a blunt or shortly pointed apex and a broadly wedge-shaped to rounded base, hairless on both surfaces; the capsule is spherical to obovate-oblong, brownish-gray, with numerous seeds; the flowering period is May to July, and the fruiting period is October to November.  It is often cultivated in gardens for ornamental purposes; the wood is hard, highly decay-resistant, red and bright, and is commonly used for furniture, boats and vehicles, bridges, utility poles, railway sleepers and construction, as well as for underwater uses; its wood economic value is said to be comparable to that of teak; the bark and leaves can be used as a purgative; the seeds have narcotic properties; the roots contain tannins and can be used as an astringent.


How to grow Queen's Crape Myrtle, cultivation techniques for Queen's Crape Myrtle

Select semi-lignified young seedlings for transplanting into the field, and apply sufficient basal fertilizer in the planting holes before planting out.

During the growing period of young trees, fertilize once a month, and pay attention to pinching out buds to train the trunk. After the plant matures, fertilize twice a year; during the flowering period, apply a compound fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus to promote abundant flowering. After leaf fall and dormancy in winter, prune once.

Cut off remaining flower branches, fruit branches, overly dense branches and diseased or pest-infested branches, and apply basal fertilizer around the base (mainly organic fertilizer), which can promote growth and vigorous flowering the following year.

Pests and diseases are rare. Pests include scale insects that damage the branches; they should be controlled early or sprayed with pesticides such as dimethoate.

Select mother trees 5 to 20 years old, requiring good growth, robust development, a straight and thick trunk, and no pests or diseases.

When the capsule changes from green to yellowish-red or light brown but has not yet split open, it is mature, and seeds can be collected at this time. Seed collection is usually best from October to November each year.

Generally, the collected seeds can be classified and stored according to the flower color of the mother tree. The seeds are relatively small, so broadcast sowing can be used; scatter the seeds evenly on the seedbed at a sowing rate of 2 g/m2-3 g/m2. Before sowing, the seedbed should first be watered thoroughly. The seeds can be sown directly.

Queen's Crape Myrtle is often cultivated in gardens for ornamental purposes; its wood is hard, highly decay-resistant, red and bright, and is commonly used for furniture, boats and vehicles, bridges, utility poles, railway sleepers and construction, and can also be used for underwater purposes; its wood economic value is said to be comparable to that of teak. The bark and leaves can be used as a purgative. The seeds have narcotic properties. The roots contain tannins and can be used as an astringent.

Care and management:


Post-sowing management mainly involves keeping the seedbed moist and preventing seedling pests. Use a watering rose to avoid washing out the seeds and knocking over the seedlings; before the seeds sprout, water twice a day on sunny days, and adjust as conditions dictate on cloudy and rainy days. Promptly thin out seedlings that are too weak or too dense in the seedbed; thinning can be combined with transplanting seedlings into bags.


When the seedlings have grown 2 to 3 pairs of true leaves and reached about 4 cm to 5 cm in height, they can be potted into bags. Transplanting on sunny days should be done in the early morning or evening; before transplanting, water the seedbed and the nutrient soil in the bags thoroughly, and after transplanting, water once to settle the roots; when transplanting, select strong seedlings in batches and grades, lift the seedlings carefully with a bamboo stick, keep the root system intact, plant 1 plant per bag, and transplant into the center of the container. The transplanting depth for seedlings is soil covering the roots, slightly above the root collar (after watering and firming the nutrient soil, the root collar should be level with the soil surface); when placing into the container, prevent bent roots, shallow planting or deep planting. Check frequently after transplanting and fill in missing plants promptly.
For one week after transplanting, water every morning and evening until the plants resume growth; thereafter, water once a day on sunny days, and once every 2 to 3 days on cloudy days. Where conditions permit, nurseries can use sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation to improve water use efficiency and promote seedling growth.



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