If you have dug the soil deeper than that, use your foot to press down the soil in the bottom of the hole, to form a firm base beneath the tree. This is to prevent it from sinking deeper than you want in the hole after you have planted it. For row planting of smaller varieties it can be easier to take out a trench along the planting line, rather than dig individual holes.
Take your tree to the planting hole and slide the pot gently off. You may need to tap the edge a couple of times to release the roots, but it should slide out pretty easily.
Usually there will be plenty of roots filling the pot and the root-ball will stay together and not fall apart at all. If you tree is dormant, with no leaves, then just let any extra soil fall into the planting hole. If your tree is growing, with green leaves, then leave it in the pot, take a sharp knife and cut around the bottom of the pot and remove the base. Then get someone to hold the pot together while you cut down the side of the pot. Tie a piece of string around it to hold together while you plant.
Now place the tree in the centre of your hole, checking that the top of the root-ball is level with the soil around it. This is very important for crape myrtle trees, the roots must not be buried deeply.
It is best to still be able to see the top of the root ball when you have finished planting. Replace about three-quarters of the soil in the hole, pressing it down around the roots of your tree. If you have left the pot on, do the same thing, but when you have finished, cut the string holding the pot together and gently work the cut pot out of the soil.
Finish firming down the soil — a gentle foot pressure or firm hand pressure is about right. Now fill the hole with lots of water, letting it soak down into the ground and into the root ball.
Use plenty of water and then wait until it has all drained away. This will give plenty of water around the roots, where it is needed. Now put back the rest of the soil, firming it gently down. Make sure you have only covered the top of the root ball with a very little soil, or no soil at all.
If you can still see the top of the root ball, that is fine — crape myrtles do not like being planted deeply in the ground. Make sure the soil is not sloping away from the tree, but flat, so that when you water it will stay around the tree, not run away. Some gardeners like to make a low wall of soil around the tree, at a spot about twice the diameter of the pot, to retain water. This is a fine thing to do, but not absolutely necessary. Put a layer of organic material over the root area, two to three inches deep and then water the whole area thoroughly.
Crape Myrtle trees grow well in pots or planter boxes and they will live for many years in a large pot. Make sure the container you choose has drainage holes, this is vital. Use a soil for outdoor planters from your local garden center or add some shredded bark, perlite or Styrofoam chips to regular potting soil, about 1 part to 4 or 5 parts of potting soil is ideal.
Cover the drainage holes with a small stone and use soil right to the bottom of the container — a layer of gravel is not a good idea and does not improve drainage.
Make sure your container is large enough for there to be soil beneath and around the root-ball. Only cover the root-ball with less than an inch of soil. Water the container thoroughly after planting and then whenever it is dry several inches down in the pot. Apply a tree fertilizer each spring, or use a liquid fertilizer regularly as directed on the container. Leave your tree outdoors in the winter; it needs a period of cold weather.
If you live in zone 5 or 6 it is a good idea to bring the dormant tree into an unheated shed or garage to protect it from cold damage, since the roots are damaged by cold easier than the branches are. An alternative method of protecting the roots is to dig a hole in the garden and bury the pot for the winter. Normally staking is not necessary. Modern arborists prefer to let the wind strengthen the tree, and stakes often cause breakage of the upper part of your tree.
Apply one pound of fertilizer per cumulative inch of trunk diameter. Add the several trunks together to determine the total needed. This is a common concern of envious gardeners. It can be nothing more than a varietal difference. Some crape myrtles come into bloom in May, while other varieties wait until July or later. It can also be due to your pruning practices. This is absolutely and totally a normal occurrence. Crape myrtles have exfoliating bark. It peels off in long hunks, often exposing glossy, honey-colored trunks.
Some of the U. In all cases, the peeling bark is completely harmless. That is the fungal disease called powdery mildew. It most commonly attacks young leaves, shoots and flower buds in spring and early summer, generally shutting down once daytimes go into the 90s. Our list of recommended varieties takes resistance to powdery mildew into consideration. Plant your crape myrtles in full sun and where air circulation is excellent. Apply a labeled fungicide as needed to stop it.
That is honeydew being secreted by crape myrtle aphids or scale insects. For aphids, look closely at the newest leaves and you will see the small, pear-shaped pests congregating.
Scale insects are white pests that adhere to the trunks and branches. Systemic insecticides such as Imidacloprid applied in mid-May offer the best preventive control. Left unchecked, either pest can secrete enough honeydew to coat the leaves completely.
Black sooty mold will grow in the sticky layer, disfiguring the leaves and even causing premature defoliation in late September or October.
However, the mold is not especially harmful, and most of it will slough off with the old bark the following spring. Some say that this creates larger blooms the following season; however, larger bloom clusters on new branches can cause them to droop and break. Additionally, year after year, this creates knobby growth at the cut point that is more susceptible to disease and distracts from the beauty of the tree.
Although crape myrtles can be grown in virtually any soil, foliage may turn yellow if soil is too alkaline. Good drainage is required for any type of soil. For established trees or shrubs, apply a slow-release fertilizer at the first signs of new growth in spring. Following that, apply a light feeding twice a month in spring and summer, as they are heavy feeders during their growing season.
Be sure to water well after every application of fertilizer. Apply a good layer of mulch to protect the roots during winter in colder climates. Once established, crape myrtles are quite drought tolerant.
During the first few growing seasons, they should be watered regularly and deeply once a week, or twice a week in extremely hot weather. The main disease problems with crape myrtles are fungal leaf spot and powdery mildew. They do have some susceptibility to aphids and scale. Color: Watermelon-pink flowers; yellow, orange and red foliage in fall. Color: Bright pink flowers; green, purple and silver foliage.
Also available: Rikki Tikki Rouge. Color: Bright red flowers; dark purple to black foliage. Also available in coral and pink. Why is my crape myrtle not blooming? Newly-planted crapes may not bloom fully until their second season, so be patient if your crape is still establishing itself. There are three more in the back yard, but the front tree is the highlight of the winter garden. It just takes care. The tree still has a chance to become beautiful once again.
It is such a shame what people do to them though they are such beautiful trees when not cut back like that, all cutting them back does is leave you with an eyesore in the winter time and incredibly floppy branches in the summertime.
Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube. Have a great spring!! Linda Gay. Angela Bailey on March 17, at pm. Annie on March 22, at pm. Chris on April 23, at am. Steve grgas on June 17, at am. Michael Frost on June 18, at pm. Janrasco on June 21, at pm. John Andrews on October 19, at am.
0コメント