Crepe Myrtle

[GavinG]

The issue with Crepe Myrtle is that they flower at the end of the season's growth - if you pinch in the usual way you get no flowers, if you don't, the shoots become waaaay too long, unless the tree is massive.

Here's one of mine, still in training. It's more than twenty years from cutting. The carving at the base is where a large vertical trunk was removed. I'd like to say that it was a sacrifice branch, but no, it was just plain ugly.

This is it as the buds are forming. You can see that it hasn't elongated all that much, before the flower heads formed. It's about 55cms tall.

P1080970.jpg

This is it in near full flower.

P1090009_2.jpg

Factors that kept the growth short:
- I missed repotting it this year, so it is congested, in depleted soil.
- After shoots had four leaves, they were pinched only once, back to two leaves.
- Then it was loaded with Rose fertilizer, and not allowed to get any heat stress at all.

The tree has more flower buds than leaves at the moment, and for that reason I'll be cutting the flowers off after I've enjoyed them for a few days. I want it to get stronger for repotting next winter.

It may be that a two-year cycle might be useful - repot, strong growth and no flowers one year, congested, pinched and heavy flowering fertilizer the next, for a season of flowers. The next season, recovery as before. I don't know whether it will work, but I'll try it.

Gavin

[alpineart]

Hi Gavin , mate its a nice Crepe Myrtle that's for sure . It is difficult with the flowers growing on the new seasons growth . I'm allowing mine to elongate to thicken the branches all through the flowering and growing season this year , then i will cut back to a suitable canopy . I did reduce the flower heads back buy about 70 % last year prior to opening this did confine the flowering canopy . I think i will end up with around a 900mm canopy and hope to retain that by skipping a flowering show every second years as you have stated . Thanks for posting .

Cheers Alpine

[cre8ivbonsai]

Thanks for the info guys, very nice show Gavin! I've got a shohin sized CM let it branch out last year but no flowers resulted, this year I cut back late December and have just notice a flush of new, denser growth, I'll await to see if I get any bloom, but I need to develop the canopy anyway so any growth is good. Meanwhile I'll just have to enjoy yours

Cheers,
Ryan

[bodhidharma]

Thanks for all the info Gavin. I think they are worth growing just for the bark alone. Appreciate the info on flowering and i will keep ears and eyes on its progress. You are quite modest on input with your own trees but when you put them up for show it appears you have a nice collection.

[dennismc]

Hi Gavin. I am an absolute fan of crepe myrtles as bonsai.

It is true the terminal flowering can make development/flowering complicated. I have 2 bonsai CMs that flower profusely annually and still get developmental pruning. Both are many years old.

The answer I have found is to use the following system. From the time that shoots appear in Spring allow them to extend to 3 sets of leaves then reduce the leaves to one pair. Keep this form of trimming of all shoots up until the end of November. That is do not prune from the 1st of December to allow flower buds to develop. NOTE this will allow the full flowering in mature trees/branches but will not induce flowering in immature shoots or trees. CMs commence to flower in their own good time.

After flowering is finished cut back the flowering shoots to their base. The only pruning thereafter until leaf fall is to trim back any excessively long shoots that arise.

Whilst the tree is dormant in Winter pruning to develop the tree can be undertaken.

You have a wonderful CM and following these procedures you can continue to develop it AND enjoy the flowering every year.

Haveaniceday
Dennis Mc

[Shannon]

Nice tree Gavin I can see a bright future for it.

Great advice Dennis, deffinatly something to remember.

[jezz_39]

Great Crepe, Gavin
Do you happen to have any progress photos over the years, just interested to know how large the cutting was as it began its new life?

Its a very nice show of flowers and i'm taking down yours and Dennis' notes. Very good advice fellas.

[GavinG]

Thanks for the advice Dennis - I wasn't game to pinch more than once this year, as the tree missed its repot. Canberra is also a month behind Sydney for bud burst, and a month earlier for leaf fall, so I'll need to adjust for these conditions. Who knows - it might even get into a bonsai pot one day!

Thanks all for your thoughts. Jezz_39, sorry, no photos. It started off very thin, and went in the ground for some years. When you buy the other dwarf Crepe (wicked cackle) think about ground-grow, clip and grow to get some serious bulk. They need a bit of size, although the dwarf forms should flower on shorter shoots. In general, the more shooting points there are (the more it has ramified) the shorter each shoot should run before it starts to set flowers. Very fine twigs can die off over winter, though. Best of luck.

Gavin

[kcpoole]

What a Stunning display Gavin
Thank you for the info and also to Dennis
I have collected 3 stumps last year that will be destined for larger trees so have hopes that they may flower and look as good as this one.

I will add this info the wiki page for CM when I get a chance.

Ken

[Nathan]

Gavin,

A truly stunning tree

I have a large stump that I have dug out and plan work on later in the year

Dennis your advice is very helpful and now have a better idea on how to attach my tree

Many Thanks to both of you

[kcpoole]

I have updated the wiki page of CM to reflect these notes
If you can have a look ad see if anything is incorrect will be great
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... epe_Myrtle

Ken

[Guy]

excellent----the larger canopy is a small price to pay for the show----I have a couple in training and luv em--because they are a complex flower, would there be any advantage in reducing each flower head themselves back to a couple of blooms as they develop or just before they open?--would that compact it enough and would the display be enough.

[GavinG]

Don't know, Guy - go crazy, test out all the options, and post some photos!

It seems to me that the more growing ends there are, the shorter each branchlet will be, and consequently the flower bunches won't be all that long either. What you suggest is certainly an option for smaller CMs.

Gavin

[melbrackstone]

excellent----the larger canopy is a small price to pay for the show----I have a couple in training and luv em--because they are a complex flower, would there be any advantage in reducing each flower head themselves back to a couple of blooms as they develop or just before they open?--would that compact it enough and would the display be enough.

This suggestion works in Brisbane to give us a much more compact display, and in fact can cause a second flush of flowering buds.