crepe myrtle dig

[nozila]

Hi all,
These are crepe myrtle correct? I've getting all these on the weekend for a good price - I think. Any tips to successfully transplant them? Do they need heaps of roots + soil?
Thanks in advance,
D

[greg27]

They look more like murraya than crepe myrtle to me. Still good for bonsai though. I'm not sure about transplanting but I think they're fairly tough.

[terryb]

Agree. Most of the crepe myrtles around my way have lost all their leaves. The bark doesn't look right either.

[nozila]

thanks guys. I think you might be right - seems to be an evergreen. if it is a murraya - orange jasmine, there roots are a royal pain in the bum as I have them for my hedging at the front. that said, I got the hedging for free and only 1 of 5 survived.

[nozila]

Here's my dead hedge as a reference. BTW should I just bonsai the 1 surviving murraya?

[Keels]

This is my crepe myrtle tree last summer. You can see it has smooth bark and more roundish leaves.

If those trees your digging are evergreen, digging in winter wont be ideal. If you have to then get as many roots as you can along with leaves etc to ensure a better survival rate.

Good luck

[kcpoole]

These are definitely Murraya,
Well worth digging as keeping as a larger Bonsai
There is a mini variety too which is a lot slower but better for small trees.

They are hardy and transplant easily with a normal amount of roots.
Cut off any long thick ones and keep the small feeders

Ken

[nozila]

Thanks all, lets just hope I have better luck with these surviving as oppose to my first attempt at digging murraya's as evident by my hedging pic.

[nozila]

so I got the murrayas out. Also got 2 freebies - a crypt Myrtle (she actually did have one) and an apricot stump (would have been a tree but trunk was too long). any idea where I should cut the branches on the murrayas and could the apricot stump eventuate into a pre bonsai?




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[Keep Calm and Ramify]

so I got the murrayas out. Also got 2 freebies - a crypt Myrtle (she actually did have one) and an apricot stump (would have been a tree but trunk was too long). any idea where I should cut the branches on the murrayas and could the apricot stump eventuate into a pre bonsai?




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...i'm struggling to see a crepe myrtle here?

[nozila]

Bottom right, it’s been chopped down to a stick


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[nozila]

Also, can I place these in water until I can get some containers for them? Or can I just leave them out in the elements with roots exposed?


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[shibui]

Soak in water for up to couple of days or cover the roots with something damp. You will see bare root trees and roses at nurseries this time of year with the roots buried in damp sawdust or something similar.
I often just dig a hole in the garden, shove the roots in and backfill with soil. No need to be elaborate, just as long as the roots are not exposed to sun or wind should keep them happy for a few weeks or even months this time of year. Air pockets no problem.
That is called 'heeling in'
here are some of the trident maples I have dug out of the grow beds.

IMGP8375.JPG

They will stay there like that until they are potted up or replanted in September.

Some trident maple seedlings bundled up in bunches of 100 waiting for a buyer.

IMGP8376.JPG

[nozila]

Awesome, thanks. I ended up finding space in the garden bed to slot some in and the others I placed in garbage bags with holes in the bottom inside milk crates.


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[nozila]

Soak in water for up to couple of days or cover the roots with something damp. You will see bare root trees and roses at nurseries this time of year with the roots buried in damp sawdust or something similar.
I often just dig a hole in the garden, shove the roots in and backfill with soil. No need to be elaborate, just as long as the roots are not exposed to sun or wind should keep them happy for a few weeks or even months this time of year. Air pockets no problem.
That is called 'heeling in'
here are some of the trident maples I have dug out of the grow beds.

IMGP8375.JPG

They will stay there like that until they are potted up or replanted in September.

Some trident maple seedlings bundled up in bunches of 100 waiting for a buyer.

IMGP8376.JPG

Loving those tridents


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