I planted a "Dynamite" Crape Myrtle last Oct. and when it bloomed in June it had these wonderful deep red flowers. So red that people kept asking me what kind it was. Well, now 2 months later the blooms are pink. What happened? I am having an aphid problem. Could that cause this?
I want my red back can anyone help? Thanks!
This message was edited Aug 25, 2008 9:33 AM
Here's a pic of the crape myrtle now pink.
Very interesting. I wonder if the sun just faded the blooms? I only heard of truly red crape myrtles in the last couple of years, so am assuming they've been bred to be red rather than occurring naturally, though I could be mistaken. Mine go from deep pink to lighter pink as the sun beats on them.
Thank you for your reply. The first blooms of the season in June were very red from when they opened until they fell off. We had a huge rain storm in July that knocked all the blooms off. The new blooms since then have been pink.
I've noticed that Dynamite and other Whit cultivars aren't extremely stable. The blooms will sometimes be the bright red they are supposed to be; other times variegated with pink, and other times a dull pinkish/white color.
I would predict that this tree will return with deep red blooms again in the spring.
Thank you. Kind of a disappointment but at least I'll have red in the spring.
This site states that shade or cloudy weather can fade 'Dynamite'.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP256
Could that be your problem?
It's in full sun from sunrise to sunset - no shade. It has been a very hot , dry summer here in Austin.
G Gal,
Flower color is the results of minerals that the plant takes up from the soil, also genetics. Maybe this plant needs to store up the stuff to make red flowers? We have Dynamite here in Florida too and the flowers stay red with the second flush of bloom. Cloudy weather? Not noticed any change, but, I am not keeping detailed records.
I know central TX has heavy black clay for the most part. In clay soils many minerals get bound up (chemically), especially when it gets dry. Here in FL we have sandy acid soil with high summer rainfalls (18" in the last 10 days).
One of the best things you can do for any flowering plants is cover the ground around the drip line with compost and then mulch. Live Oak leaves are one of the best mulches, Cedar mulch is one of the worst (high in tannin? or something like that).
I just plant coleus for summer color, Beckwith's Gem>
Thank you for those tips. I have about 3 inches of pine bark mulch all around the tree. We have some serious alkaline soil here from all the limestone - pH 8 - 9. I needed a jack hammer to put in most of my trees and shrubs. I heard that pine mulch makes the soil more acidic but I may have to take more drastic measures.
When you put compost down, which I've never done before, do you work it into the exisiting soil or just lay it on top?
Early next year I was planning on putting compost on top of the old mulch - should be little of it by then - and then putting new mulch on top of that.
Thanks!
You can just lay compost down on top of old mulch. The worms will work it into the soil for you.
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out and ants play Pinochle all about (silly childhood song)
Covering the old mulch with compost, then more mulch is perfect, laboring saving too.
Another addition that can help, sulfur, that will help loosen up that gumbo you garden in. Lightly and frequently thru the year is better than all at once.
Lastly, there is no such thing as too much compost, I am careful to keep it a foot or so from the stems/trunks of the plants. Plants 'breathe' there and you don't want to create a 'home' for pests.
Gardeninggal, If plants are already in the ground, your best bet would be to scatter the compost on top. That way the plant roots are not damaged. As it the compost breaks down the nutrients will work their way down to the roots. Agricultural sulfur will lower the soil pH, but you wouldn't be able to keep the pH stable. If there isn't much soil on top of the limestone, the swings in pH will be greater. You have a number of options: bring in more topsoil, make raised beds or use mainly plans that do well or thrive in alkaline soil. This last option is especially important when planting trees. It's going to be impossible to acidify the soil arond a mature tree and keep the tree healthy. For acid loving shrubs, use raised beds or berms of acidic soil with lots of peat.
Over-generalizations can get you into trouble. The geologic history of our state is sufficiently diverse that soils can be very complex. About the only generalization you can make is that most of Texas soils are alkaline. There are exceptions. The Piney Woods areas can be very acidic. Our ranch is part of the Post Oak Savanna (in central Texas) which tends to be slightly acidic. There are a number of Post Oaks on the property. They go chlorotic in none acid soils. Most of our ranch soil is sandy loam. The few patches of clay soil (where our stock tanks are located) are a light tan in color.
Dale, you must be thinking of the black jumbo soils, mostly not in central Texas. Much of Williamson County, where Round Rock is located, is west of the Balcones Fault. That area is lucky if it has more than a few inches of "top soil." The rest is layer after layer of limestone. The rest of the county has deeper soils and is part of the Blacklands Prairie.
Thank you to everyone for all of your help on this. I moved to TX last summer from Northern Indiana so it has been a huge learning experience.
gardeninggal07...I know this is off the thread topic but welcome to Texas...small world we just moved to Texas last summer also but we came from northern Illinois by Rockford
I am so glad I found Dave's garden and the wonderful folks here they have helped me alot with re learning gardening in Texas ...this just isn't the wonderful black soil we had back up north. We've been working on composting and amending the soil to help things grow too.
Phyllis
Talking about the soil in TX - it is said that when the glaciers moved into the states leaving boulders and all kind of stuff and good soil that that all petered out and never got to Texas. So we were left w/some of the most awful soil in the world and the worst in the US. We had to be resourceful and learn to amend our soil. Everyone in the state w/a few exceptions will tell you that the worst soil in the world is found here.
Ann
TX soil is tough stuff, but, you should see the stuff they have to deal with in the desert SW. I lived in LasVegas for a year and the soil there was either pure sand (no organic material) or clay that was as solid as concrete, wet or dry. And there is no place to get compost, except to have it shipped in from out of state (very expensive).
I lived in Austin for 13 yrs and did lots of gardening jobs. The black clay that is so common was tough, but, you can grow many varieties of plants.
Mine I moved to Florida I couldn't believe how easy it was to dig a hole. You just put your shovel in the ground, pop out the soil and plant. Takes very little time here to plant. What a joy for a old guy.
