Crepe Myrtle renovates your garden with incredible barks and attractive flowers, but its beauty may decline if you don’t stop the growth of unwanted shoots.
Crepe Myrtle(Lagerstroemia spp.) bears pink, white, purple, red, and lavender blossoms that flower during spring-summer.
So, if you want to encourage the blooms and maintain the overall tree health, read this entire article to avoid excessive shoot growth.
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How To Identify Crepe Myrtle Shoots?
Crepe Myrtle bears numerous shoots and suckers upon maturity that grows vigorously during the growing season.
These shoots arise from the dormant buds and on the mature tree’s trunk, branches, or twigs.
Shooty growth normally contributes to the fuller canopy, lush growth, and overall health of Crepe Myrtle.
However, vigorous growth may result in the imbalanced shape of the tree, decreasing the tree’s overall appearance.
Moreover, Crepe Myrtle also produces suckers from the tree’s base and appears as numerous small shoots on the tree.
It’s because the suckers divert energy from the flowering branches to themselves and grow bigger on the tree.
Thus, removing unwanted suckers is vital to maintain overall appearance and encourage healthy, balanced growth.
Can You Transplant Crepe Myrtle Shoots?
Transplanting Crepe Myrtle shoots are a perfect idea if you don’t want to trim and dispose of them.
However, you can only transplant these shoots if some part of the root is attached to them.
All you need to do is tug the shoot or sucker from the tree’s base and plant it in the desirable location.
Moreover, transplanting them in early spring after the last frost will encourage growth from mid-spring to summer.
Additionally, you can also propagate Crepe Myrtle shoots from softwood cuttings which are green and delicate sprouts.
Simply trim the 6 inches long softwood and remove the lower leaves. Then dip the cutting into the rooting hormone.
After that, plant the cutting on the well-draining potting mix, providing bright, indirect sunlight until it roots.
Ensure to keep Crepe Myrtle soil moist but not waterlogged to prevent root rot. Water only when the top 2 inches of the soil feels dry.
How To Stop and Prevent Crepe Myrtle Shoots?
Basically, it’s impossible to stop the growth of Crepe Myrtle shoots, but you can slow down growth for a balanced look.
Always prune the unwanted growth from winter to early spring when the tree is dormant. Avoid excessive pruning as it results in loss of blooms.
- Inspect the new and unwanted growth all over the branches, trunks, twigs, and tree base.
- It’s important to identify the shoots that create improper looks before pruning.
- Prune those shoots carefully with a sterilized pruner to avoid infection on the tree.
- Selectively, dig the suckers that appear from the tree’s base to avoid them completely.
- If the suckers are hard enough to dig, make sure you trim them timely to prevent growth.
- After cutting the shoots, apply pruning sealant to avoid pathogenic invasion.
- Mulching the tree regularly prevents excessive water loss and stress to the tree.
- If the rapid growth persists, apply a sucker stopper to treat the tree chemically.
From Editorial Team
Be Aware Of Water Sprouts in Crepe Myrtle Tree!
Water sprouts are delicate shoots that occur from the grafted parts of the Crepe Myrtle tree and grow rapidly during the growing season.
If not removed, these sprouts may lead to the irregular look of the tree by restricting the airflow and diverting the energy from the tree.
