Planting Crepe myrtles

[YLee Kioti]

Hey folks.
Got four of these from HD and started planting them but now am second guessing myself.

Here's what I did.
Dug hole about 30" square one shovel blade deep. In the center dug another 6 inches and buried a fertilizer stick, covered in dirt.
Then layered with compost, then dirt set root ball, covered with compost then topped with with last layer of dirt and then red mulch.

My concern is, will the fertilizer stick eventually burn the roots and need to be removed?
Why did I do it? well I normally drive them into the ground in spring and fall bury one near the root for the fruit trees and drip line around the pecan trees. They seem to be doing well so thought I'd give these crepe myrtles a start.
What do you seasoned landscape folks think?
Thanks all

 

[Gem99ultra]

My suggestion is - D O N 'T ! Once you plant a crepe myrtle, you'll never going to kill it. I've had them take off in our flower beds, and have been fighting them for 3 years. Pulling them up by the roots just make 'em spread. Cutting them down just make 'em spread. Soaking them with Round-Up just make 'em spread. They're like a virus!

 

[Shaneard]

Back when I was a volunteer in the local FD, there was a wreck one day at the school in town, car hit a crepe myrtle in the school yard. They have been there as long as I can remember. Leaned it over to about a 45 degree angle. A landscaper in the FD pulled it back over and tied it off. It's still living today and I been out of the FD for 15 years. They are tough.

We have 3 in our yard, been there a long time. Never once fertilized any of them. Just cut them back this year to about 8' tall. They were close to 20' tall.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Well these will be used to add a little landscaping to the front gate entrance, far from our future home site.
A deep dark red and purple two pairs.
So it seems that they will be ok then.

Thanks for the replies.
They are planted 12 feet apart and 12 feet from the fence line so I can cut. Plans are to place Hummingbird feeders in between them during their migration seasons.
Well guess I'll go plant the last one. We had a good soaking last night so ground should be soft for an easy dig.
Yah'll have a great week.

 

[DerbyRunner]

A little trivia. The ones that bloom white grow faster than other varieties.

 

[wagne223]

My suggestion is - D O N 'T ! Once you plant a crepe myrtle, you'll never going to kill it. I've had them take off in our flower beds, and have been fighting them for 3 years. Pulling them up by the roots just make 'em spread. Cutting them down just make 'em spread. Soaking them with Round-Up just make 'em spread. They're like a virus!

Around here we use the phrase "crepe murder" to describe the annual cutback.

People will cut these things off 5 feet above ground leaving nothing but the base sticking up.
By summer they are 15 feet high again.

 

[dieselscout80]

How do they cut them off do they use a saw?

 

[Hozzie]

How do they cut them off do they use a saw?

Yes, you can use a hand saw, chain saw, or anything else. I really like Crepe Myrtle's as they are easy turn into shaped trees, etc. For new growth on the limbs you can simply run your hand against the bark and it will break off the new sprouts.

 

[EddieWalker]

Here in Tyler, there is a Sunday radio program with a Master Gardener that talks about growing stuff here. He was asked about when is the best time to plant crepe myrtles and how to prepare the hole. The guy on the radio said that it's one of the very few plants that you can plant any time of the year and it will do fine. He also said that it will grow in any soil, and that you didn't need to add anything to the soil. Just dig a hole and water it.

I don't know about the fertilizer stick, but would guess that it was a waste to use it on the crepe myrtle. From everything that I've seen with them, it probably wont hurt anything.

 

[YLee Kioti]

Here in Tyler, there is a Sunday radio program with a Master Gardener that talks about growing stuff here. He was asked about when is the best time to plant crepe myrtles and how to prepare the hole. The guy on the radio said that it's one of the very few plants that you can plant any time of the year and it will do fine. He also said that it will grow in any soil, and that you didn't need to add anything to the soil. Just dig a hole and water it.

I don't know about the fertilizer stick, but would guess that it was a waste to use it on the crepe myrtle. From everything that I've seen with them, it probably wont hurt anything.

Well good to know, thanks. I spent 75 cents (each) on the sticks and they are only 2' tall, came in 1 gallon buckets.
By time they get tall enough to prune I may be too old to care...lol.....and let our son worry about it...heh......

Cut the cut fence line yesterday and they do help out dress up the gate entrance. Good to know I cn't kill them.....lol....

 

[Buppies]

I always dig the hole about twice the size of the root ball fill with water let the hole sit till empty then place tree on hole leaving top of root ball/base of tree just a little above flush then water again filling in dirt as settling occurs. In very hot weather at least three times a week water throughly more if needed. Hope this helps In trimming trim above knot that forms above each trunk three typically each year trim and off all inward facing branches

 

[YLee Kioti]

I always dig the hole about twice the size of the root ball fill with water let the hole sit till empty then place tree on hole leaving top of root ball/base of tree just a little above flush then water again filling in dirt as settling occurs. In very hot weather at least three times a week water throughly more if needed. Hope this helps In trimming trim above knot that forms above each trunk three typically each year trim and off all inward facing branches

Thanks, so far they are looking good. will soak them monday and keep them hydrated while the temps are still in the low 80s.
heh yeah won't be long down here....90s+ here it comes.....

 

[two_bit_score]

My suggestion is - D O N 'T ! Once you plant a crepe myrtle, you'll never going to kill it. I've had them take off in our flower beds, and have been fighting them for 3 years. Pulling them up by the roots just make 'em spread. Cutting them down just make 'em spread. Soaking them with Round-Up just make 'em spread. They're like a virus!

I’ve killed Crepe Myrtle (and a lot of others) by cutting it down then painting the stump with straight 2,4D. It will kill the roots.

 

[SandburRanch]

There are dwarf cultivars suitable for beds close to the house and then the tree like cultivars suitable for planting as you would any tree. Double the mature height distance from any structure or power line.

 

[RalphVa]

Plant like any other tree: no fertilizer stick, ever. Just a bigger hole than the root ball but maybe an inch or two shy of being as deep. No amending.

Ralph