Different variant of Crape Myrle from seed

Last winter for the first time I germanated and potted up about 150 crape myrtles.
I killed almost half of them when I moved them out of the GH
too soon without hardening them off enough. Out of the 80 or so
that lived inspite of my mishandling of the seedlings a couple
of the seedlings displayed unusual growth. One in particular branchs
did not grow upward but grew outward from the center of the plant
and curved downward and cascaded to the ground. When I first noticed
the curving downward of the branchs I thought it was wilting, but it wasn't.
To keep the branchs off the ground I put this one in a larger pot.
It bloomed alot over the summer, beautiful white flowers cascading
over the edge of the pot, but I failed to take pics while it was blooming.
This winter I have started hardwood cuttings from this plant and the cuttings
are displaying the same curve downward growth habit. I am posting
pics it inviting comments seeking the knowledge, experience, advice
and drive by opinions of others about accidental new cultivars or a new freak.
Are cascading crape myrtles desirable?
The parents could be who knows who. I have crapes that are 6 footers, ten footers
and 20 footers. The colors are white, pink and purple.
This photo is the dormant crape in the pot. Notice how the branchs are radiating
outward from the center of the plant instead of upward.

This photo is of a cutting with curved downward growth. It looks as if it is
wilted but it is not. Pic is a little blurry.

This photo shows the curved growth and a normal growing crape hardwood cutting.

I think a weeping one could potentially be interesting--don't think I've ever seen one so I'd definitely hold onto it and see what it looks like as it gets a little older and you can tell more what its mature size and habit will be. Make sure you post some pics this summer when it's blooming, I'd love to see it!

ecrane3 I am going to hold on to it and multiply it like crazy for awhile. It is so small I could hardly force myself to take cuttings. I took enough for 4 skinny pencil lead size cuttings and all four are putting on new growth but I have been know to kill cuttings by the score. I batted about 25% last year with hardwood cuttings this year I hope to apply what I learned last winter of what not to do.

hi there-
congrats on your interesting crepe from seed :0)

I always thought crepe myrtles propagated best in the heat, and was told that the little sucker sprouts were the very easiest. Maybe wait until warmer weather to propagate?

As for uses, it would be neat grafted high on a standard crepe myrtle, so that the tops weeped, but the bottom section grew straight enough and tall enough to give it a real tree height...?

Hi: Congratulations on you new cultivar. You do have a winner there. I would not let any out of your sight. Once you get it grown up I would check with some of the large catalog companies or you might check with Dr. Whitcom http://www.lacebarkinc.com/ he holds many patents on his crosses. I am not sure if he might claim he has one already. I would say the 1st one to market would be the winner. Wayside nursery might be a good place to check. I really don't know how to advise. Once you do start selling them I would like one for my own collection.
I have an unusual daylily actually 2. they came up a cream color while everyone else is a nice green color. I am, like I advise you to holding on to these as tightly as possable.
A heated mat on a shelf would improve your cuttings success rate. Also I would use clean sterile soil or soilless media would help. What rooting hormone are you using?
Please keep us posted.

Dave

seedpicker thanks for the nice comments and suggestions. Graphing to a standard crape sounds interesting. Something new to learn. My propagation is improving. I am learning as I go.

pughbear7 thanks for the link. I was hoping for a strange crape myrtle when I started the seeds last winter. I got lucky. I got something I was looking for the first time I tried. Not as good as hitting the lottery but enough luck to keep me excited. I had read about new crape myrtle cultivars being created by hybridizers using chemicals and cross polinations starting thousands of seeds. So I start 150 grow 80 and find a pearl, maybe. I should change my name to lucky2008. I do have 6 varitities of crapes very close together, so who knows who crossed with who. I have 5 cuttings going and they are getting TLC. I hope not to make the mistakes with the cuttings this go around. Another problem I had last winter was a terrible infestation of fungus gnats in my GH. I did nothing to combat them not knowing they could kill. I blame those guys with some of my cuttings expiring. As for as rooting hormone goes I have been using Rootone when I use hormone. I can't tell that it helps, some of the best cuttings I have progagated I didn't use it. Go figure.
I will keep you posted on the progress of the little sleepy head nodders.
Maybe in the furtue we can trade a crape myrtle for a daylily or 2.
Larry

I use 'knock-out gnats' soil soak. It is great for getting rid of pesky gnats...
They sell it at Gardensalive. It is pricey, but goes a long way, and will last a long time for you.

Here is a link:
http://www.gardensalive.com/article.asp?ai=614

This message was edited Feb 18, 2009 3:40 PM

If you're having trouble with fungus gnats I'd also make sure you watch your watering--typically when they're around there's also a little too much moisture, so it could have been the moisture and not the gnats that caused the problems with the cuttings.

I can believe that too much water could have been a contributing factor. The crapes cuttings died after they rooted, transplanted to gal pots and they put on a lot of new growth then just wilted away after about 3 months not too long after I removed the milk jug domes. The plants were getting too large to fit under the jugs. They were looking great, I was proud. It was then the fungus gnats took over. Too wet, I can believe. I cannot stop myself from giving them a little drink. I have not noticed any gnats so far this winter. I have some chick grit that I was going to put on the soil if I got them this year. I believe I read somewhere that chick grit will prevent the gnats from getting to the soil and laying eggs.

If they died shortly after you took the milk jug domes off then the shock of the change in humidity could have contributed too. Next time you might try weaning them off the milk jug domes gradually rather than just pulling them off "cold turkey". If they're used to the high humidity environment under the dome and you all of a sudden take that away that can be too much shock for seedlings or newly rooted cuttings--you'd be better off removing it for a short time, then put it back on, and gradually increase the amount of time it stays off until it's off all the time.

Here is a look at two of the cuttings. They look like they will live. They are maintaining the horizontal branch growth. The original has been outside all winter. It started putting out a lot of leaves and then heavy frost. I should have move it inside. Frosted all the new growth. It is starting to recover.

That is good news. I hope they grow and do well for you ;0)

Wild Cat:
Its been some wacky weather. I had to cover everyone today for the overnight. I am glad to here you are getting your stock built up. Please let me know when you decide to sell rooted plants.
Dave

Hugh I haven't ignored everyone intentionally. I have been trying not to be compost. A small problem of a 5 by-pass open heart surgery has slowed me down some. And more invasive fixes to be determined later, too many items to fix at the same time. What I had done was over two days. I was in never neverland for 2 days. I have been really sick for a long time and didn't understand how sick. I just thought I was a lazy old coot. I will do my best with the rootings but I expect it to be late fall or winter before I get too active.

This message was edited Jun 29, 2010 8:09 PM

oh, gosh!

Take care of yourself, and rest up. There are more crepe myrtles in the world, but only ONE of you!
:0)

Hi : I agree take care of you before all else. everything else can be replaced but you only have one heart and you need it working well. I will add you to my prayers
Dave

How are you and the crape myrtles?

The past year they got very little care until April. I ended up with the original one is still alive plus two cuttings. The haven't started blooming yet, the original one did bloom last year but my heart surgeries prevented me from taking proper care of them. I never even put the glass in the GH door. At least I have fewer pots to water. I had carpal tunnel surgery Friday on the right side. I am slowed down again. Then it will be the left. Ninth hospital visit since last May. Fifth operation. I will take pictures. This the last time I attempt an email until I heal up a little. It hurts.

Take your time. I know we all get so into our plants we sometimes forget whats important. Things will work out as they are suposed to.
Having been through many surgeries myself I kind of understand. Mine were back issues I am sure the heart surgery is a lot worst and more pain than I want to imagine.
Thake careYou are in my prayers.
Dave

This is the original from seed.

Top view of the original from seed.

This is a cutting from the original. The previous photo of this cutting is back up the way, over a year ago.

Top view.

Here is the last of three along with Cali, my owner. Eveything I touch she rubs against. Real good at turning over pots.

This message was edited Sep 20, 2010 9:02 PM

Bonsai enthusiasts are gonna love that plant. Get well. We need you.

The white flowers look good to me.

Very pretty!

wormfood
Why are Bonsai enthusiasts gonna love this plant?
I need alot of education.

It will branch out short, there would be more control over the tree. I would buy a dwarf juniper before one that grows straight up.

You are correct in that the bonsai folks will love it and most likely fight over it. Has it been named yet? I think there is a site to help with introduction of the plant. I would love to get one of them for my collection
Dave

Your are on the of my list Dave, as soon as I create a list. I only have three plants. I need to get busy rooting cuttings. I have a hard time snipping on my plants. Decisions. My heart bleeds for them. I will be brave.

Naming is difficult. I have experience with mis-naming new things. Once a following is created, renaming confuses customers and my girls, oops I mean my supervisors.
I
f you can recall the name of the plant introduction web site that would be a great recall. There is so much to do. I know new plants are patented, big pain the patent office is royal pain, and names copyrighted.

This is fun but I hate being responsible. I gave that up the last time I was downsized.

This is a water deprived seedling, about 18 months old.

The crape is 3 1/4 inches tall. Is this an instant bonsai?

If I am being silly please laugh quietly.

Here is another of my seed grown crape that caught my eye this morning.

Here is the reason it caught my eye. This color blind old man saw it right off. I just moved it yesterday because it was blooming. Yesterday all the blossoms were lavender, my DW verified that. This morning some of the blooms have turned white.

Is this crape unusual or do crapes changes color or color fade out over time?

They fade, but over time. And I'm not sure if I've ever seen a 2 tone crepe. Ever.
You should really get ahold of the experts. I had a bromeliad traced and found out they paid a couple of thousand for the parent plants.
If you have something special there it could finance a nice gardening habit.

crapes do fade and there are quite a few 2 tones, pepermint lace comes to mind. I had a nic dwarf that resembled a tree in a 10 pot mre of a mum pan. anyway we had such a hard winter here I lost a great deal of the form so I am going to have to start over with it. next time into the unheatd greenhouse for winter. I am away or I would post the before pic and a new now pic. its tough to almost loose a baby like that. so what are you thinking about for a name? snow on the praire ...(sorry if the spelling is off, I don't have my dictionary handy) lol
Have a safe and great 4th
Dave

Pughbear7 I use google as a dictionary. Fast and easy.