Advice on Crepe Myrtle

Has anyone sown Crepe Myrtle seeds?

The seed pods are round, and have sections. The sections all come to a point. When the pod ripens, it opens up at the point, dropping the seeds inside.

The seeds seem to be jelly-like, not firm. Can I pick them out of the pod, and sow them? Anyone done this?

Steve

Hi Steve-

I haven't tried the seeds. Because so many of the Crape Myrtles are hybridized, very few will actually look like the parent, so (to my experience) most people take cuttings (so they know what they're getting).

HTH!

Stve like PaganCat said so many are sterile hybrids. I just take the seed once the pod opne s and scatter on a thin tray of soil . If a seedlign happens to sporut than it cn abe removed, but most don't germinate and that way save s lots of waste d soil and pot.

I just us e small cookie like sheets with a few hole spoked in the bottom for mass sowing questionalble seeds.

Thanks! I think I'll stick with cuttings.

Steve

Steve I think you are better off to stick with cuttings don't cuttings grow a lot faster anyway? I have no luck with cuttings you are lucky. I planted three crepe myrtles last year that were in pots for a year and they are only about a foot tall for now but they have made it I lost a few trying to over winter them until they got big enough to plant from seed these were the only three that made it, from what I understand is that they are really slow growers anyway I just wonder at what time they really start to get some size to them.

BTW, I remember when you joined DG's because your name is so close to my last name Skaggs lol

I took a lot of cuttings just a couple of days ago. I think I was a little late - they had already flowered, and the new growth had turned a little woody. It will be interesting to see if any of them root.

Steve

Good Luck :)

Steve .. have you done the Crepe cutting s before?

No, this is the first time. I looked for young, new, tender, green shoots. They were hard to find - like I said, the trees had alreday flowered and seeded, and the new growth had started to turn a little woody.

Steve

Don't know how your doing your s but I wil take a branch and cut it up into about 3" sections. I take all th eleave s all but two and thos e I cut in half and dip ina bit of root hormone and then keep constantly misted, but putting aboggy over the top wil work too but ya just have to watch for fungal mold.

I have ha d a lot of success rooting that way and usually by the end of first year they ready for two gallon pot and to be overwintered.

With you being hotter than me, you'll want to keep them in the shade and in coolest temps ya can find, unless ya gonna root them in the house or ya have gh facilities.

I took cuttings from my dad's white crepe myrtle. I Cut maybe a 6" shoot off and cut all the leaves but 1 or two and cut them in half. I scraped about an inch or so of skin off of the bottom and stuck it in root hormone. All I did was stick it in a 4" pot with soil and it took. That was about 8-9 months ago. It is now in a 3 gallon pot and blooming.

I have one of the dwarf purpel one s that I love. Thinking abotu tryign to do some cutting s off of it. Would lov e to have a whoel slew w of them to line down both side s of my so calle d driveway which is a giant dirt mess.

My little crape myrtles. Doing pretty good. 2 white and 2 watermelon pink.

Another watermelon pink

My large pink in bloom.