crepe myrtles not blooming much... is 15 years old 'too old'?

18 years ago

I think I've heard it said of crepe myrtles that they don't have long lives. Do I just need to think about replacing mine?

Thanks!

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Comments (5)

scd_nc
18 years ago
Well, my folks had 2 in their garden (Wilmington) that were estimated to be around 100 yrs old, (30-36" diameter - beautiful!) which still bloomed.
User
18 years ago
Are encroaching trees limiting the amount of sun they get? What about your pruning techniques?
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Natches Crepe myrtles usually grow fast when they are young and are one of the potentially tallest growing cultivars of CMs. Yours likely get the right amount of water they like during their spring growth flush, and the nitrogen issue will definately compound that fast growth issue. The tree that is not blooming could be getting less direct sun rays. Is there a tall tree or some other structure that is out of the shot, but which is tall enough to cast signifcant hours of shade on that CM. If so that could be another reason you CM is not blooming yet, even though the Natches on the other end of the house has begun to bloom. Personally if I wanted a corner accent CMs I would not have chosen the Natches cultivar. Especially considering that those multi trunks have the potential to get overly thick and the canopy they each produce can end up being more massive than one would think they might want spreading so close to the corner of house. Guess to avoid such issues, either late winter or very early next spring, you could do corrective pruning that transforms your Cms to single trunk trees. but whether or not you choose to do that you will find the you also will need to yearly raise each tree's canopy, until the yearly pruning time arrives when your trees are tall enough that their canopies are higher than your roof line and are no longer close enough to hang down on and brush against your house shingles.
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Crystals..I don't know of anyone who irrigates their crape myrtles beyond the first couple years after planting. And, you may be putting your fertilizer too close to the tree trunks. Here it is 3rd week of Aug and most of the crapes in yards and in pro intallations/street medians are blooming late and fully. We have, in most of Meck. Cty, had more than enough and regular rain. I'd stop babying these decorative small trees and focus on the fall/winter trimming and removal of the drip lines. Move the drip lines at least 6' from the trunk and root ball area or take it away altogether.
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Are they getting more shade from trees nearby growing taller? Do you, or your neighbor, fertilize your lawns(s)? Most lawn fertilizer is high in Nitrogen, and will push leaves instead of flowers. Aside from those two probable causes, I can't think of another right now. You can TRY to fertilize with a fertilizer for flowering plants, with a low N (first) number, but if they are getting too much shade, there's not a whole lot that will do to help. While CMs do OK with little or no water, especially older ones, they do better with water, so maybe getting supplemental water to them might help. Of course, if you are under water restrictions, that's no use....
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louannie
18 years ago
I had two HUGE crepe myrtles in the yard of my last house (rented)...they were the biggest c.m.'s I've ever seen, even compared to south LA or Natchez, MS. They had to be 100 years old. But they didn't bloom much. They did need a good pruning, and I never supplemented their water.

Here in my current home (mine, not rented, woo hoo!) there are some that were already planted. I don't know how old they are, but not young. I would estimate anywhere from 20-40, maybe more. The people who owned this house before me lived here for 50 years and probably planted them soon after moving here.

The ones that are in the open bloom the most. The ones that are next to a fence between here and the neighbor's yard have several trees encroaching upon them and can't grow like they should. Just wait till I get my hands on a chain saw...those trees along the fence line are TOAST! lol (The neighbor won't mind, we've discussed it, they are volunteer trash trees.) But they DO get more water because I have made a shrub/perennial border all around them, and their blooms are larger than the others, thought fewer because of limited sunlight.

I believe crepe myrtles are long-lived and that is not the problem. I would check sun, pruning, or water. Do a search on pruning crepe myrtles on this forum to avoid being advised to "crepe murder" them!
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
18 years ago
Declining crape myrtles can often be revived by proper pruning. This involves removing some of the excess clutter and opening the interior of the plant to more sunlight and air circulation. It also enhances the natural beauty of the tree by emphasizing the primary branch structure. Proper pruning is a thoughtful process and does not have anything to do with hacking the tops out of the trees.

I prefer to do this type of pruning in the dormant season so that I can see the skeleton of the tree better. Most of this type of pruning can be done with good hand pruners. Loppers may be needed for a larger branch or two.

Another highly beneficial thing for your crape myrtle is mulch. Applying a 3 to 4 inch layer of organic mulch in a wide swath around the tree (but not piled up on the trunk) is one of the best things you can do, bar none.

Crapes do not have a high fertilization requirement, so if they sit in the middle of a lawn that is routinely fertilized, that may be part of the reason for lack of flowering.

We're just guessing here, since we don't know a thing about your situation or the site in particular.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pruning technique
PeaBee4
18 years ago
The ones that don't last long are usually those that have been hacked back to nubs every Spring. This makes them a target for disease. A healthy specimum can last a long, long time.
PB

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crepe myrtles not blooming much... is 15 years old 'too old'?

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scd_nc

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louannie

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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