crepe myrtle not flowering

[peterb]

Hi All
I bought a crepe myrtle from the big green shed 2 yrs ago it was late in the season and hadn't sold so got it at a reduced price, planted it straight in the ground and the following spring it grew well but started to take real strain in the heat of summer , so i dug it up and planted in a big tub where it grew well ( didn't cut any roots or anything )it didn't flower at all and i put it down to being stressed and messed around. The following year it still didn't flower but grew very well , and now this year appears that it's not going to flower again even though it's growing really well I have ferilised it with high potassium fert and it gets regular seasol , can anyone shed some light as to what the problem can be. I'm growing it in a tub to fatten up but don't want to waste time on it if it won't flower
regards
peterb

[Beano]

Are you pruning it? The flower buds come at the end of the seasons growth. If you prune it too late in spring/summer, you won't get any flowers.

I got no flowers this year either, on any of mine. I got some the year before on my hybrid but it didn't flower this year. I ended up getting sick of waiting and pruned it.

[treeman]

For flowering crepe myrtle you firstly need a hot summer. They won't flower if its too cool.
The best way is to feed really well in early spring as soon as the new growth starts. When the growth is long and strong ( about late Nov ) prune back to a couple of nodes and let it flower on the second flush. Continue feeding well right through the growing season. They are very hungry trees!

[dennismc]

I would like to offer alternative techniques to those already recommended here. I hope they will be of some help! I have been growing Crepe myrtles for over 30 years as bonsai. My experience is that they will not flower until they are fully mature. This may take anything between 2 and 10 years. Eventually yours will flower when it is ready, not before!

CM flowers on the end of branches/shoots. Thus pruning techniques must adapt to this habit.

If the tree is ready to flower then the following processes will allow the development of flowering wood.

When the new foliage appears in spring allow the new shoots to develop into 3 sets of leaves (this will only take a couple of days) then trim the shoot to 1 pair of leaves.

Repeat this process with the subsequent shoots that develop. This procedure should be followed until the end of November and then totally cease. Generally the flowering shoots develop in December thus by stopping before then their development is not impeded. IF the tree is mature flowers will then develop. NOTE: some individual CM will commence development of flowering shoots in November and in this case stop cutting the shoots at the end of October. How will u know when development of flowering buds commences? U need to be vigilant - flowering buds look different to growth buds, if u see any then cease shoot pinching immediately.

Once flowering is finished remove the flowering stem as it will not produce growth. The only pruning done between then and winter is to keep the tree tidy. NOTE: any small new growth produced in the latter part of the season will almost invariably die in winter.

During winter any structural pruning can be attempted. In spring and in subsequent years repeat the process.

They need regular and consistent watering and to be placed in as much sun as is possible.

Merry Xmas and A happy new year
Dennis Mc

[Beano]

That's great info thanks.

[peterb]

Hi All
Appreciate the responses , if i'm growing it to fatten up the trunk , should i just leave it to grow unimpeded and then just use the techniques mentioned when i have started to bonsai it and not worry about flowers till then , or should i be encourageing it to flower now while i wait for it to fatten up
kind regards
peterb

[kcpoole]

Let it glo as hard as you like until ready to start working the tree.
Up to you to let it flower or not. I like looking at them so typically let them flower

Ken

[Beano]

Sorry I know this isn't my thread, but if I let mine go, it eventually stops growing and the leaf tips turn brown. It seems to grow more if I prune the tips off regularly. Am I just not fertilising it enough?