Natchez Crepe Myrtle bending

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I have a pretty young Natchez, and this year we have had a bunch of rain. The trunk is bending severely and I'm wondering if I just let nature take its course or should I stake the tree to pull it back upright. I had thought about strapping a piece of PVC to the side I need to pull it back to and secure it at the base and then secure the part that is bending over. Thoughts? I'm not interested in the "crepe murder" approach unless it is a last resort.
https://imgur.com/a/VL2u8F6

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Comments (10)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
5 years ago
Wow, did you buy it as such a lanky, weak specimen? Don't bother with PVC. Do a google search on 'how to stake a tree' and follow some simple directions for proper staking using two or three sturdy metal or wooden posts and strapping to secure the trunk in an upright position.

Yikes, somebody pruned the heck out of that tree in order to make it a single trunked specimen a bit prematurely.
Matt P (Z-7b)
Original Author
5 years ago
Bought it as a "single trunk". I'll look into staking it.
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Rhizo makes a good point. What it really comes down to is the look you want for your house. I personally like smaller, ornamental trees that frame the house: at corners, or sides, etc. I like BIG shade trees in fronts and backs of houses whose canopies will grow so high that they do not block the view of the house from the street. I wholeheartedly agree with his comment about naked and forlorn neighborhoods. Ultimately, the choice is yours. I have found it to be useless to go to garden centers with a specific variety of crape myrtle in mind. Except for the well known ones like Natchez, they never seem to have what I want. Almost all selections with the names of Indian Tribes are resistant to mildew. Read the tags, and choose one of suitable height, width, and color. Chances are you'll do just fine. I would caution about Byers Wonderful White. It's beautiful and tough, but the blooms are so huge that they can actually cause the limbs to break under their weight. It's nearly as large as Natchez, so I would choose Natchez if those were the only two whites available. Here is another idea for you to consider. You might want to think about a border of trees and/or shrubs and/or flowers, etc. that wraps itself around the edges of your property. Shape your lawn in a U or a semi-circle, for instance, and then leave maybe 15 feet or so of buffer around the edges, extending from the lawn edge to the property line or the street. Then plant that area and leave the lawn as a (small) pristine centerpiece. You remove obstacles from the view of your house. It's easier to mow your grass without trees scattered around it. The grass grows better with more sunlight, and the border gives you privacy and shelter. There is beauty that you can see from the street or from your interior windows. (Why plant all the pretty stuff for the passing cars to enjoy?) Think about it. There are lots of houses with two trees in the front yard. Why not try something a bit different and provide that wonderful neighborhood canopy too? You can just mulch the area for now and add plants as time and money becomes available.
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Jean
5 years ago
Stake loosely, so that the trunk can sway.

See http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/5253/16819.pdf
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
5 years ago
That's a good fact sheet, Jean.

Matt, ideally, a purchased tree will not need to be staked at all. But yours is an example of one that must be staked in order to be healthy. Chances are, the tree will recover in a year or so. Allowing for a little sway will help the trunk gain some 'muscle' and bulk up.

I'm curious, was this purchased as a containerized tree and was it already staked in some manner?
PRO
Yardvaark
5 years ago
What is your vision for the form of the tree when it is mature? How tall is the clear trunk; what height along the trunk would branching begin?
PRO
Revolutionary Gardens
5 years ago
Our young, multi trunk natchez did the same thing after a heavy rain while it was in bloom. It leaned over for a week or so, then went vertical again after the blooms started dropping. I wouldn't freak out.
bengz6westmd
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
My Natchez does this 'cause it dies back alot after the winters and sprouts out of the base become very long. I cut them back early on and they get thicker, branch outward & are not so floppy.
Matt P (Z-7b)
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for the advice everyone. When purchased it was in a 15 gal nursery bucket. It had a very short bamboo stake in the pot with it, but the stake wasn't tall enough to reach the part where it is bending. It is about 5 feet of bare trunk before the branching. I had hoped that at maturity it would look like some trees we have where I work that are single trunk, about 8-9 inch diameter, with a nice natural canopy. What should I use for ties?
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
i use old fashioned all cotton clothes line ...

its big enough.. that i can untie and retie it.. numerous time over a growing season ...do not presume that you tie it once.. and walk away for years ....

and.. if i lose track of it.. it will eventually rot off ... though i doubt you would forget about one tree on a small lot ... lol ...

hindsight is 20/20 ... next time avoid a bit of instant gratification.. buy a better.. smaller tree ... and train it up yourself .... and you will avoid this problem ... in other words.. buy a tree with a trunk proportional to its height ...

ken

ps: if you added fert to the planting hole.. it would be no surprise that the greenery outgrew that wood ... if applicable.. avoid that next time ...
Matt P (Z-7b)
Original Author
5 years ago
I added some mycorrhizae for root growth but nothing else. I'll give the cotton clothesline a go. Thanks.

Natchez Crepe Myrtle bending

Comments (10)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

Matt P (Z-7b)
Original Author

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Natchez Crepe Myrtle bending

Comments (10)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

Matt P (Z-7b)Original Author

Related Discussions

Jean

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

Yardvaark

Revolutionary Gardens

bengz6westmd

Matt P (Z-7b)Original Author

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

Matt P (Z-7b)Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

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Matt P (Z-7b)
Original Author

Matt P (Z-7b)
Original Author

Matt P (Z-7b)
Original Author