Ripped up and transplanting crepe myrtles...help?!

[vfem]

We ripped these out of a rock bed on the side of the road... my husband put in over an hours hard work getting these puppies up! The rooted got hatched a bit and there was barely any dirt to keep on them because of the rocks.

HELP!!!!

PLEASE give me some pointers and ideas on how to get these in and save them!!!!!

 

[injunjoe]

Trim any damaged roots.
I would remove a good deal of growth to allow for root loss and remove any flower buds.
Water every day and it should do good!

Good luck

 

[vfem]

Well we got it in as fast as we could. Its getting a good watering right now. I mixed a little compost in with the clay soil, not too much. I don't want to spoil the tree. I mulched around it too. now i'm just letting the hose run a bit.

Which reminds me, we've only managed to get 1 of 2 in. Its just so darned HOT, I was hoping it was another cool day since its been so nice lately... luck had to run out sometime.

Didn't someone suggest asprin for stressed plants?! Would this work on trees?

 

[vfem]

I am still very concerned about these trees... the leaves have started to curl and look on the edge of death!

I've watered everyday and given them both a water and asprin mixture.

SHould I water down some rooting hormone to give them a hand?!

 

[injunjoe]

I would remove more top growth to allow for all the root loss.
Like most of it!
Lay black plastic around the base to help heat the ground to promote roots.
Some dark rocks would also help collect some heat to.
Sorry I am not much help but these are things I would do if it were me.

 

[patandchickens]

Established crepe myrtles are IME rather hard to kill, they stump-sprout back... so I suspect that as long as you can coddle it along enough for new roots to grow, it should be back, from new growth at least (even if the existing branches die back to the ground).

If you haven't planted it yet yo might consider dusting the roots with a *light* amount of Rootone or other rooting hormone. Not lots, just a bit. And in a week or so give it a glug of properly-diluted transplant fertilizer.

Cutting back topgrowth is pretty controversial these days. I would not suggest doing it unless the plant is *wilting severely* and seems likely to die from overall drought stress. Just having leaves die and fall off is not the end of the world. Pruning would prevent the plant from being able to 'rescue' nutrients from those branches and leaves, and can potentially do more harm than good.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[vfem]

I did cut back a lot of the flowering parts, and damaged branches. I left the solid looking ones. I did water down some rooting hormone (about 1 tbsp and split it between the 2 trees). I got them into the ground within 2 hours of hubby bringing them home.

I am watering again today after dinner right at the base of the tree. I mixed in some fresh compost from my pile with the already clay soil there as not to shock them since they were growing wild in clay and rock when we got them!

So I will ignore the lose of leaves, chances are it will be better for the roots. Besides its almost fall and its really cooled here a lot... so it may be the best thing I guess. Expect better of them in spring.

 

[vfem]

Here's the one in the backyard... sorry its sideways view! LOL

 

[injunjoe]

I think they will be fine.


"Pruning would prevent the plant from being able to 'rescue' nutrients from those branches and leaves, and can potentially do more harm than good."

I had always thought plants take up Nutrients from the ground with roots and then they move up not the other way around. I did not mean top the tree just remove some growth to allow for root loos.

Good luck with them; Joe

 

[patandchickens]

"Pruning would prevent the plant from being able to 'rescue' nutrients from those branches and leaves, and can potentially do more harm than good."

I had always thought plants take up Nutrients from the ground with roots and then they move up not the other way around.

Nope, it goes both ways. For one thing, the sugars produced by photosynthesis move around to other parts of the plant, including roots. And when plants are going dormant, they 'suck' as much nutrients as possible back out of the foliage that will die off and fall, before the leaf actually is lost, and those nutrients are translocated to the rest of the plant to be used or stored. An illustration of this is how much harder it is on spring bulbs like Daffodils to cut off the foliage before it is pretty thoroughly dead. They do much better when allowed to get full benefit from the yellowing leaves and not have 'em removed til they're pretty close to brown and crispy.

Pat