Fertilize Crepe Myrtles: Everything You Need to Know

Sep 4, 2024

People who want their gardens to look beautiful all year often choose crepe myrtles. These are popular in parks and landscapes because they offer year-round beauty. Their summer flowers last a long time, and their bark is very attractive. However, to get the most out of their bright flowers and strong growth, it’s important to fertilize crepe myrtle properly and provide the right care.

Fertilization is one of the most important things that can be done to ensure that crepe myrtles get the food they need to grow. When you fertilize a plant, what kind of fertilizer you use can greatly affect its health, ability to bloom, and resistance to diseases. We’ll talk about everything you need to know about fertilizing crepe myrtles in this article, such as when to fertilize, picking the right fertilizer, and other care tips to ensure your plants do well all season.

Understanding Crepe Myrtle Growth Patterns

For proper care and management, it is important to know how crepe myrtles grow. Crepe myrtles are deciduous trees or shrubs, which means that their leaves fall off in the fall, and they don’t grow at all during the winter. As the temperatures rise in early spring, new growth starts to show itself. Also, leaves and flower buds appear. In late spring and early summer, the plant grows the fastest when it makes lots of leaves and gets ready to bloom.

Depending on the type and the weather, the growing season lasts from mid-summer to early fall. At this point in time, crepe myrtles have groups of bright flowers ranging from pink and purple to red and white. Once the flowers are gone, the plant slowly returns to hibernation, losing its leaves in preparation for winter. To ensure the plant grows well and flowers lots, you must know when to fertilize, prune tall crepe myrtles, and do other care tasks related to this cycle.

Best Times to Fertilize Crepe Myrtle

When you fertilize crepe myrtle, the timing is very important because it directly affects how much they grow and flower. Early spring, right when new growth starts to show, is the best time to fertilize crepe myrtle. This time, usually from late February to early March, is when crepe myrtle starts to bloom again after being dormant.

When you fertilize at this time, you give the plant the nutrients it needs to grow new leaves, stems, and flower buds. Putting down fertilizer in early spring ensures that the plant has access to the nutrients it needs most. It also stimulates strong growth and sets the stage for a flower-filled season.

You might want to give the plant a second dose of fertilizer in late spring or early summer, around May or June, if it seems to be growing slowly or not blooming well. To keep the plant safe from cold damage, don’t fertilize in late summer or fall. This is because it can cause new growth that might not have time to harden off before winter.

When you fertilize crepe myrtle at the right time, they get the nutrients they need at the right point in their growth cycle. This makes the plant healthier and more lively.

Choosing the Right Fertilizer for Crepe Myrtle

Choosing the right fertilizer for crepe myrtles is important for healthy growth and abundant flowers. It is essential to choose a fertilizer with the right amount of nutrients for crepe myrtles because they do best when they get a balanced diet of these nutrients.

For crepe myrtles, the best fertilizer for crepe myrtles is 10-10-10 or 8-8-8, which has the same amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Nitrogen helps plants grow lush leaves, phosphorus helps roots grow strong and flowers bloom, and potassium improves the plant’s general health and resistance to disease. This well-balanced mix ensures that crepe myrtles get all the nutrients they need in the right amounts, which helps them grow well and produce beautiful flowers.

Those who want to get more flowers can benefit from using a fertilizer with a little more phosphorus, like 10-20-10, for flower production. It is a fertilizer that can help plants grow more often.

Crepe myrtles also do well with organic fertilizers like compost or manure. These natural choices release nutrients slowly, which improves the structure of the soil and helps plants stay healthy over time without the risk of over-fertilization. It’s important to follow the directions on the fertilizer package so you don’t fertilize the plant too much, which can cause it to grow too quickly, lose its blooms, or even get hurt.

How to Fertilize Crepe Myrtle?

If you use the right fertilizer correctly, your crepe myrtles will grow well, making your garden look beautiful and healthy.

Choose the Right Fertilizer

Decide on a fertilizer with similar amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, like 10-10-10 or 8-8-8.
You could also use a high-phosphorus fertilizer to improve blooms, like 10-20-10.
If you want a slow-release, nutrient-rich solution, consider using compost or well-rotted manure.

Determine the Right Amount

To get an idea of the root zone, measure the area around the crepe myrtle’s base.
Based on the plant’s age and size, follow the instructions from the fertilizer maker to find the right amount.

Apply Fertilizer in Early Spring

Apply crepe myrtle fertilizer when new growth starts in late February or early March
The drip line is the area under the outermost branches. This is where the feeder roots are most active, so spread the fertilizer out evenly around that area.
To keep the roots from getting burned, don’t put fertilizer right up against the tree.

Water Thoroughly After Fertilizing

After putting down fertilizer, make sure to water the area well so that the fertilizer can soak into the dirt and reach the roots.
Ensure the earth isn’t too wet so nutrients don’t wash away from the roots.

Monitor and Reapply if Necessary

Watch how the plant grows and blooms. Add more fertilizer in late spring or early summer if you think it’s necessary.
If you don’t want to damage crepe myrtles around your house in the fall or late summer, don’t fertilize.

Maintain Regular Care

Keep watering and mulching as usual to help plants grow healthy all season.
Cut back the plant as needed to keep its shape and encourage growth.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Fertilizing Crepe Myrtle

Fertilizing crepe myrtles can make them grow and bloom much better, but a few common mistakes can undo these benefits. To make sure your plants do well, stay away from these problems.

Over-Fertilization

Too much manure is one of the most common mistakes people make. If you over-fertilize, especially with high-nitrogen fertilizers, your plants may grow too many leaves instead of flowers. Not only does this make the plant look worse, but it also makes it easier for diseases and pests to attack. Over-fertilization can also hurt the soil by throwing off the balance of nutrients and possibly burning the roots, which can stop plants from growing or damage them.

Fertilizing at the Wrong Time

When you fertilize crepe myrtle, timing is very important. When fertilizer is added too late in the season, like in late summer or fall, it can cause new growth that won’t have time to die off before winter. This new growth is more likely to get hurt or killed by frost because it is so soft. Early spring is the best time to fertilize because that’s when the plant starts to grow quickly.

Using the Wrong Type of Fertilizer

Crepe myrtles can’t use all kinds of nutrients. Bad results can happen if you use fertilizer that doesn’t have the right mix of nutrients. For example, nitrogen-rich fertilizers may help plants grow leaves but not as many flowers. It is better for plants to grow and flower when they use a balanced fertilizer or one with a little more phosphorus, like 10-20-10.

Also, using synthetic fertilizers without checking the soil’s current mineral levels can lead to imbalances. On the other hand, using organic fertilizers can improve the soil’s health over time.

Incorrect Application Method

If you apply fertilizer incorrectly, like by putting it too close to the root or not spreading it out evenly, the nutrients may not be spread out evenly. To ensure the plant gets nutrients well, fertilizer should be put around the drip line, where the feeder roots are most active.

Ignoring Soil Testing

Not testing the soil before adding fertilizer is another mistake that many people make. Without a soil test, you might not know what nutrients your soil lacks of. This can make fertilization less efficient and cause nutrient imbalances. You need to get a soil test to choose the right fertilizer and use the right amount for your soil.

You can ensure your crepe myrtles get the nutrients they need to grow by not making these common mistakes. This will lead to a healthy plant with lots of blooms.

Additional Care Tips for Healthy Crepe Myrtle

Along with the right amount of fertilizer, crepe myrtles need regular care to stay healthy and keep their blooms looking great. To make sure your crepe myrtles do well, here are some more care tips:

Pruning

To grow new crepe myrtle, cut back in late winter or early spring. This time frame lets you shape the plant without messing up its flowering cycle.
Focus on removing branches that are dead, sick, or crossing. Also, make crowded areas less crowded to improve air flow, lowering the risk of fungal diseases. When the tops of stems are often cut back, this is called topping. Do not do this because it can cause weak, spindly growth and fewer blooms. Instead, careful pruning will help the plant keep its natural shape and grow strong, healthy branches.

Watering

Once established, crepe myrtles can handle drought, but young plants need to be watered regularly during dry times. Deeply water the plant once or twice a week to ensure the roots get enough water.
Water the plant from the bottom up so that the leaves don’t get too wet, which can make fungal diseases more likely. You can get water directly to the roots with a soaker hose or drip watering. This will cut down on water waste and help the roots grow deeper.

Mulching

Arranging mulch around the base of your crepe myrtles will help keep the soil wet, weeds away, and the soil at the right temperature. Other types of mulch, like wood chips or pine straw, break down over time and add nutrients to the soil.
Put down a layer of mulch about two to three inches thick around the drip line, ensuring it doesn’t touch the trunk. This keeps the plant from rotting and lets air flow around the base of the plant.

Pest and Disease Management

Regularly look for common pests like aphids, Japanese beetles, and scale insects on your crepe myrtles. If you see signs of an infestation, like leaves bent or sooty mold, you need to move immediately. You can eliminate pests like aphids with insecticidal soap or gardening oil that won’t hurt good bugs.
Powdery mildew and leaf spot are two common fungal diseases that can hurt crepe myrtles. Ensure there is good airflow by leaving enough space between plants and cutting them so light can get through. If you need to, use a pesticide as soon as you see signs of disease.

Sunlight

For crepe myrtles to grow well, they need full sun or at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunshine daily. If plants don’t get enough sunshine, they may not bloom as much and grow poorly overall. Plant them somewhere that gets a lot of sun for the best results.

Soil Management

Crepe myrtles like slightly acidic to neutral soil that drains well. If your soil is heavy on clay or doesn’t drain well, you might want to add organic matter like compost to make it better at both.

Check the pH level of your dirt often; it should be between 6.0 and 7.0. If you need to, you can change the pH by adding things to the dirt, like lime (to raise pH) or sulfur (to lower pH).

By taking these extra care steps, you can make sure that your crepe myrtles stay strong, healthy, and full of beautiful flowers year after year.

Final Thoughts

To sum up, caring for crepe myrtles is more than just ensuring they are fertilized properly. It is very important to know how they grow, pick the right fertilizer, and use it at the right time to encourage healthy growth and bright blooms. By taking these thorough steps to care for your crepe myrtles, you can enjoy their full beauty year after year, with their beautiful flowers and interesting leaves making your garden look better.

FAQs

What is the best fertilizer for crape myrtles?

A slow-release fertilizer with equal nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, like 10-10-10 or 8-8-8, is best for crepe myrtles. This gives the plant the nutrients it needs to grow and bloom. You can also use a fertilizer with more phosphorus, like 10-20-10, to get more flowers. Organic choices, such as compost or well-rotted manure, are great alternatives because they provide nutrients slowly and improve soil health.

What nutrients are deficient in crape myrtles?

Lack of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium can happen to crepe myrtles all the time. Nitrogen shortage often causes leaves to turn yellow and growth to stop, while phosphorus deficiency can make flowers not open properly and roots not grow well. If you don’t have enough potassium, the edges of your leaves might turn yellow or brown.

How often should you fertilize crepe myrtles?

Crepe myrtles should be fed once when new growth starts in early spring and maybe again in late spring or early summer if they need more nutrients. If you don’t want to encourage new growth that could be hurt by frost, don’t fertilize in late summer or fall. To keep from over-fertilizing, always follow the directions on the fertilizer box.