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New Jersey Gardening

Is my Crape Myrtle Dead?

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

I live in northeastern NJ (zone 7a) and last spring I purchased a red rocket crape myrtle bush. I kept it watered and it bloomed nicely in summer. But I'm worried that it is now dead. I keep reading that crapes lose all their leaves in the winter. As you can see by the below picture, mine still has a bunch of dead leaves. Any thoughts?

Thank you.

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Comments (5)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
6 years ago
A very warm fall followed by a sharp freeze with no typical gradual cool down period affected a lot of deciduous plants in the New England area. The cold just hit before the plant could complete leaf abcission. Provided the plant was sufficiently established to weather the winter cold (and if planted in spring it should be), it should bud up and leaf out at the appropriate time. The old leaves will fall off when the new buds emerge.
User
6 years ago
It's not dead. It probably looks like every Crape Myrtle in the Middle Atlantic and Southeast! They did not lose their leaves normally in the Northeast last Fall due to excessive HEAT. Then, there was sudden hard frost (forget now if it was early Nov or Dec.), but the same delayed leaf drop was seen on Japanese Maples. I am also in NJ/Zone 7 and have no concern over my collection (yes, they are addicting!!). LOL.

P.S., They leaf out relatively late in the season, depending on the weather, but buds should be swelling by April or May.
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What happenig to my Crape Myrtles?!
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First, yes, you spelled it right (the generally accepted way)! I have a hard time accepting the cold-kill argument (especially for the one with no foliage on the larger trunks). It's possible, but hard to accept since you are in such a warm area (zone 8b/9a). We only rarely have significant cold-related dieback (more than a few inches from the growing tips) on crape myrtles here in Tennessee, where it gets much colder. Have you noticed any other symptoms before the total dieback (signs of disease, pests, etc)? Has anything changed (unusual weather, chemical applications, etc)? Have you contacted your local agriculture extension office and asked them for ideas? They may actually be one of your best sources of information, since they should be familiar with your local conditions and be able to take a first-hand look.
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Crepe Myrtle (Crape Myrtle) with growth problems
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I got this same thing on a sweet cherry tree and end up chopping it down, of course it is growing out of the side of the trunk, I decided I will let it live and see if I can treat it so the avoid that nasty soot. I noticed I have alot of lady bugs on my roses and they eat those suckers. My crapes last year got black spot. I guess crapes and roses are strongly related?? I am trying a garlic, water and milk mixture to fight the fungus and bugs (I am guessing they hate the taste of garlic since they never touch any of my garlic plants. When I spray the leaves of my roses it seems to deter the bugs not sure just yet just experimenting. japanesse beetles dont' seem to be a problem, one year they showed themselves but didn't last long and didn't do much damage to anything. some people just use a strong spray of the hose to get rid of the aphids they can't climb back up once they are knocked off. I have alot of acrage and birds galore I am sure they eat the bugs and that is why I seldom have a problem with them, yet. RR
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Yes, anything without green at this point is dead and can be pruned away. Take that 4th trunk all the way to the ground if it is sprouting at the base. Was it colder than usual at some point this winter? I know here in Atlanta we got down to 10 degrees which is the lowest temp in our range.
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Chas045 wasn't belittling you at all. He meant "it might be a draw" to prune it like that because crape myrtles bloom on new wood only. It will grow bigger branches for you and bloom better this summer. That is why alot of people and landscapers cut the crape myrtle back like that. Don't worry about it, it will be fine. You won't even notice it in a couple years, they grow really fast. It will bloom better for you, wait and see. Smile and be happy.
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Loretta NJ Z6
6 years ago
I agree. It was due to that sudden frost when everything was still green. A lot of plants held onto their leaves. The result was that no matter how many times I raked this winter, more leaves kept falling!

In any case, even if there is dieback, Crape Myrtle is capable of coming back from the ground.
Mrs Pete
6 years ago
Crepe Myrtles are the last plantings to "come back to life" in the spring ... and one of the last to go dormant in the fall. Do not cut it down unless it's still "dead" in July.
giskim
6 years ago
If the wood is still green when you scratch off some bark, it's still alive. We have a Natchez in NE PA that we were convinced was dead - no budding through the middle of June. The bark was still green. I was told by an internet Crepe expert to throw in the towel. I actually bought another one and planted it, leaving the original out with exposed roots. Came back from a weekend at the NJ Shore, and buds had sprouted. I replanted, and it did great.

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