While I don't have a video update on these specific cuttings there are some others I did in this video here:: ua-cam.com/video/8qa2FJiU9Ow/v-deo.html along with some other plant propagation updates.
Hard wood cuttings are very easy to propagate , just take any new growth from previous year,(in jan, fed, or march) cut in lengths of 8 to 10 in, stick in Builders sand or good potting soil, keep moist (not soggy wet) no need for misting as there are no leaves, I do hundreds each year easiest method I've found.
I have a few dwarf varieties and one of the plants has two different blooms. I think I actually have two varieties in that were planted and grew together just as you describe!
I trimmed a nice strong two year old Natchez Crape Myrtle in November, when it was unusually warm, and put a 12" long stick in the ground. It was about 1/8" in diameter. I had two others at the time. Winter froze all three all the way down to the ground. I waited but all of that growth was dead. The cutting is now my largest Crape Myrtle by far! It's about 10' tall and growing fast! The others are doing well now, about 1 1/2 years after freezing back because they have a good, strong root system but still much smaller than the cutting.
I just saw this video, I'm in India and there's plenty of it on the roadside so I picked few stems like you did to propagate! Thank you, I hope they root soon ❤ Also, ive used a mix of sand and cocopeat and its kept moist
Great tips. Thank you. I am in 9b ~ Florida. I have a whole bunch of shoots coming out of 2 trees I just relocated. Wanting to propagate all the shoots. There must be 15 to 20 on each tree! So many crape myrtles! Good thing I've got the room to plant them all. Also.... what a great idea for the hostas I have. They will look so pretty underneath these trees.
Thank you! One that I had growing just got snapped accidentally by my dog and now I’ll help it grow into many instead of it ending up in the compost pile. Appreciate the great information :)
You can hardly kill a crepe myrtles you can cut them down and grind the stump out and you will have crepe myrtle bushes. In 2018 I had to cut one down because of storm damage. I rented a stump grinder and to this day I still have a crap myrtle in that spot
Those are great ideas. I'll work toward that! I work full time right now so it can be a challenge to post regularly like that would require but it is something I would like to do.
Thanks for the video. I have always wanted to propagate some crape myrtles for some friends and here you are. I'm in Southern New England, zone 6a, crape myrtles grow well in my front yard. Slow growing, but they don't die back, despite the brutal winter we have had. It has been 6 years now since I have them in the ground, they've been blooming in the early Summer until the early Fall.
I have found that if I followed the advice of a gardening book I have and I cut off about half of each leaf, it seems to stimulate the cutting to grow roots and new leaves. I have never successfully rooted a leafed out cutting when I left the leaves intact. Also the newer varieties like Natchez, Muskogee, and Tonto seem to be far easier to root than the older varieties such as William Toovey and Carolina Beauty.
Great video! I live in Central Florida Zone 9b and these are very adaptable to my environment. It's hard to grow much here, especially in the summertime, but these tend to thrive and keep on growing. Very low maintenance and easy to care for. I love these strategically placed around the property. I actually want to propagate these and I haven't had any success lately. It's great to hear what tips your using for this. I appreciate the help and information very much! Have a beautiful day 💛
I need another Crepe myrtle for my landscape so Im going to try this! Otherwise I usually feed the suckers to my rabbits branch and all. I have my crepe myrtles trained as trees to shade my front porch, I love them!!
Really hoping to learn how to do this properly. Haven't had any luck so far. They do well for about a week and then die. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. But I have one crape myrtle that's spouting all over the place from disturbed soil (we cleaned out an old garden bed) so maybe I can transplant those to a new location this winter. I want to use them to shade the back of my mobile home. It's so freaking hot here in Texas. Thanks for the video!
I just purchased two different kinds of crepe myrtle (the purple and enduring summer white). I'm excited to see what the outcome will be. Thanks for your propagating video. I do want to try to propagate both of them.
Thanks! Wish me luck with a Tonto Red dwarf! I've been trying to root this for a year. Tried just water, tried soil mixed with sand, but haven't tried just sand yet. Appreciate it!
I'm experimenting with some cuttings myself but just learning how. My parents found out by accident that they will root easily when they put some cuttings in the ground as a border for something else. By the way, that large Crape Myrtle looks great but that vine that is growing in in will kill that tree eventually. I just spent a huge amount of time removing one from a Crape Myrtle and there was much less green left at the top afterward because what had been there was in large part the vine.
Where do you get the red sand you put the cuttings into..?.we have been called Zone 7 , but now they say we are Zone 8. We have a red/ruby colored crepe myrtle and have had it about 5 years. . Itwas supposed to grow to 6' to 10'. so I put in in a pot then under our eaves. It should've grown that tall but wants to grow to approximately 12'....so it loves it's position, but I have to keep cutting it back. It was glorious this last year of 2022.... thinking it has probably rooted thru the bottom of the large plastic pot that it is in so may cut the pot off and maybe report or plant someplace else ..My husband will be 82 this year and myself 80 so we're not into major "anything" even though the Good Lord has been helping us maintain our home and yard of just under an acre for 47 years now. SOOOOO glad you showed this easy process to start more crepe myrtles....our property could easily use two more...so I'll start several and possibly have some to give away😊
If you want to put them outside on a old table with the legs in plastic cups or used large bottle drink container cut in half filled with water and rock salt because slugs can't tolerate salt. I did this around my and my Husbands house because I had put pineneddles around the house and slugs like pineneddles. My Daddy told me this it's true. So I got a bag's of rock salt, putting it tight, about 3 to 4 inches, (removed pine needles first) Well, hopefully you can try it. Old school, I love it 😊
I had 2 that grew from seeds!! I never planted them, I noticed one day under my crapes that there was a small one about 3 inches high. I dug it out and replanted it, it's getting big. Now I have another growing in almost the same area, I'll replant it soon.
not sure the differences. i got again from a seed a crepe myrtle. I grabbed a stem, guess my mistake was not trimming at the node, or using sand. Lucky me I did manage to do a Golden dew drop from a stem. but not a zone 10 plant for me Lol will bring inside that I am so impressed and shocked, going to grab another branch, and try to take your suggestion to it . thanks not many videos of it or people at my channel interested.
A seed grown crape myrtle could have different traits than the parent like flower color or size. One taken from a cutting will be a genetic duplicate and should have the same traits as the original.
How would you go about getting a cutting from a new offshoot around the base of the tree and what should I look for? I am very new to propagating, so I also need to know what comes after the wet sand, how much light/darkness is needed, what temperatures (I live in central Texas so it's hot), and how long until it should be planted in the ground and the baby steps in between! If you know another video or blog post that goes over these, it would help me not fail! The way you showed how to trim the cuttings was very helpful!
Fellow Texan 🥰 I would say if you are using this same technique then place the "cup" in a south facing window (inside) for max sunlight. Then plant in spring. That should give it enough to to form a really good root that should survive our texas summer with lots of watering at sun down 🤷♀️
You didn’t show how you actually stripped the leaves before you planted them. I am trying to keep mine super small so I’ll be pruning as much as necessary. My ultimate goal is to have a beautiful, blooming bonsai crepe myrtle. I’m getting my cuttings from my tree that is the tallest I’ve ever seen. This Crepe Myrtle is every bit of 40 feet or more and blooms a couple times a year. These blooms remain for about 3 months, but shed just as quickly. Thank you for your demo and have a blessed day.
There's not much to stripping the leaves really. Just pull them off. I generally will hold the cutting in one hand then scrap down the stem with my other hand which will remove the leaves.
I was successful to root a cutting from crepe myrtle tree. However I do not need another tree. Can I restrict the growth to just shrub in a 3 gallon pot?
Great video and thanks for the information. One question though? Should the cuttings be placed in full sun or in the shade, while waiting for them to take root? Thanks, in advance.
Shade definitely. The cuttings will dry out way to fast otherwise. A little dappled sun would be fine but not full sun. I would do most of my cuttings under the shade of a Japanese maple. That worked really well.
Thanks for a great video, I've been wondering how to do this. My neighbor has a beautiful white one that I love so much. It's probably only four to five feet tall, is that too small to take cuttings? Also do you leave the sand wet like that the whole time or let it dry out? I'm in Kentucky zone 7A and today is July the 31st. Is it too late now to take cuttings and if not when do I plant them in the ground and care for them after that, over winter? I know absolutely nothing about propagating trees and I appreciate any help you could give me. Thanks and God bless you Jude, from Kentucky ✝️🐴🇺🇸⚒️🇺🇸
A 4 to 5 ft tree should be fine for cuttings. You never want the cuttings to completely dry out. Usually if they dry out for very long they will end up failing.
@@Growingthehomegarden Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. How big do they have to be before I plant them in the ground and do I need to put some kind of covering over them for the winter? I am leaving here and moving to the country so I wanted to get some cuttings from her tree before I leave. I'm sorry to be such a bother but I want to make sure that I do this right. Again, thank you
@@jude7321 You're not a bother at all! I would say when they are about a foot tall you can plant them safely. I would recommend protecting them if you are moving to the country. Deer will graze on everything. Wrap it while small with a piece of wire fencing or chicken wire until it's big enough to be left un protected.
@@Growingthehomegarden Ok, got it. I have some cages that I made out of wire fencing that are about 3 and 1/2 ft tall, so I'll be sure to do that. I might be getting back to you later if I need more help but I sure do appreciate you. God bless you Jude
Thanks for this helpful video! We did this and about half of the cuttings are flourishing after a month. When should we move them from wet sand to potting soil?
If you have some good roots you can move them anytime. Just be very gentle when transplanting. I'll leave any sand or rooting medium attached and plant the roots and medium in the new pot so I don't disturb any of the roots.
What a timely video to appear in my “recommended” inbox. I was just going to dig out some suckers from around my Dynamite Red crepe Myrtles. Do you have any videos on pruning mature crepe myrtles?
I haven't made a video on pruning crape myrtles but probably should. It's something that is often very badly done. Those suckers should be good rooting material.
@@Growingthehomegarden the reason I’m asking is because I’m having trouble getting my Dynamite Reds to grow into a canopy. The branches keep growing straight up.
Generally you will want to allow 3 to 5 branches of the crape myrtles to grow. Pune off the suckers from the bottom when they appear and limb up the sides of the trunk to somewhere around 5 ft or so. However much you want to have with just a trunk. The canopy will push upward and you can then just do corrective pruning to prevent crossed branches. Prune off branches that point in toward the center of the tree and allow those that point outward. Hope that helps some!
I have a question please, I found a crape myrtle behind my shed. It only has one 6 foot stem. Two branches off off it. How do i replant and branch it out. Any help will be greatly appreciated
If you trim it a little at the top you may spur growth down along the branch and create some side branches. Otherwise you can look for a sucker (branch coming from the root) and nurture it until the tree has your desired branching.
Mine died during this years Texas freeze. So now it has shoots that have grown from the bottom of the tree. Had to cut the dead tree . Now they blooming profusely! Can I completely cut the old trees since the saplings have taken over?
Wish I knew this before buying one small tree of Amazon for 65 bucks....my neighbor has one already could have just used that...thanks though my fav tree
I find the most success from early to mid summer. The early softwood can be very floppy and sometimes doesn't do as well as something a little later in the season.
Put them in a good seed starting mix and just keep them moist while germinating. They grow fairly well from seed. When they get too large for your container transplant them quickly because their root systems grow fast.
It really depends on how long it takes roots to form. As soon as I have some good signs of rooting I check them and if the roots are forming well I'll transplant to a larger container with potting soil. That's usually when there are a few roots forming and they may have a little length to them. Those roots are tender so you have to be very careful with them.
Do you have a follow-up video to this video? I'm just curious if your cuttings did get roots and how long does it take for crepe myrtles to grow roots? Thank you.
Those cuttings did not get a video but some other crape myrtle cuttings I made were included in general update video here: ua-cam.com/video/8qa2FJiU9Ow/v-deo.html
I did commit "crepe murder" in March and they are blooming beautifully...so all mine is first year growth. When is the best time of year to propagate from cuttings?
Please answer...do you put holes in these sand containers for drainage? I am confused, being a newbie. It seems holes would drain and dry the sand out. Nothing said in the video.
You are correct that they will dry out faster if you put holes in them. What I would recommend is putting a few holes in the side of the container 3/4 to an inch above the bottom. That will keep some water in the container but not waterlog the cuttings.
@@Growingthehomegarden Thanks for the quick reply. i did sixteen cuttings late Sunday afternoon without the holes. I am going to put the holes in today. I will heat a small screwdriver and melt 2-3 holes in each clear plastic cup. Can I assume that it is not too late????
I will normally use play sand, builders sand, or paver sand. It's an inert material that doesn't harbor diseases. You can use other combinations that should work too. Perlite/peat or vermiculite/peat are often used. Even fine bark shavings works. The idea is to minimize the opportunity for pathogens to hurt the cuttings.
Hi Dave I have a few questions that I dont think were covered in the video and sorry if these are dumb questions: How much direct sunlight a day should the cuttings get? Should i be misting them to keep the leaves refreshed? Should I keep the sand moist or let it dry out after the first soaking? Thanks in advance!
I found a variegated new growth at the bottom of one mine, dug it up cut it off the root and put it in water Do you think it would grow roots? I really want it to live
It's possible. Many variegated plant varieties were developed this way as a sport off of another tree. Take care of it and you may have something very interesting!
It looks like the containers don't have drainage holes, so the sand shouldn't dry out too quickly. What's your guidance for watering over the 4-8 week rooting period?
You're correct. I didn't put drainage holes in. I monitor them and make sure the sand is moist but never there with standing water. It works out to adding a little water every 2 to 3 days. If I were using a misting system I would definitely put drainage holes in the bottom.
I've used it to propagate a lot of plants. It drains well and is inert. It's also easy to sterilize later with boiling water. I can't say it can be used for every plant but it works well for a lot of plants.
Its Summer or nearing end of it here in NYC. I bought a Purple Magic Dwarf over a month ago and now its blooming nicely, but i do not see any opportunity to take cuttings as each branch has beautiful blooms still. I also have a 30 year old one that is over 20 feet tall and spreading out over 18 feet, and in full bloom as it always does here in late July. A friend gave me a hardwood cutting late this past Winter and for months it only shows 2 roots, about 1 1/2 inches long. I don't know what to do with it as Fall approaching and i am in zone 7b, like you, I think.
I would keep that cutting in a pot for a while. It may be the roots need some fertilization to push more growth forward. It should be OK if the winter isn't too bad. If we get into a really cold spell you may want to bring it in to an unheated garage area for those cold snaps. I would maybe wait until this fall and try some hardwood cuttings or in spring when growth starts of getting some greenwood cuttings. Another option would be to try growing some from seed but it probably won't be exactly the same as the original.
I have mine outside near bright light but shaded, do I need to keep plastic bags over them for humidity (live in NC) and does the color of the bag matter?
It needs to be able to let some light through. Lighter plastic bags will do better. Avoid planting in direct light when you have plastic over them as it may cook the plants.
Hi Dave, how can I get seeds instead of seedlings? I want something I can transport and Plant to a different state, not sure if I can move seedlings in a suitcase.
Good question! The seeds come in a small pod that start off like small ball then open with wedge like shapes like sections from an orange. Gather those up if you can find them and you should be able to sow them at your new place.
I have seen seeds at Amazon but I can't vouch for their quality. I've also seen some for sale on Etsy. I would lean toward Etsy and you can probably vet the seller better.
Since weather and temperature conditions can vary a lot it's good to check on them daily. If the medium is drying out give it enough water to be damp but not too soggy. I have lost more cuttings than I can count by not checking on them when I needed to! Probably every 2-3 days they will need watering.
Is there a best time of year to take the cuttings? I am in Southern California and we have a lot of Crepe Myrtle in public spaces that I can pick up, with permission of course. Right now they are in beautiful bloom, so I would have the advantage of knowing which color I was getting. Thanks.
In my area early summer works best but they root very well all summer. We need to have enough time for them to harden off to survive winter. I suspect you could root them fine in Southern CA just about anytime.
My friend has an old 20 footer in his back yard. He has what looks like seeds and would like to give me some. I do not have room for a 20 footer, but could i use these seeds and control them to about 6 feet in a container?
@@Growingthehomegarden occasionally, we get ice in November but IF we get any, it's usually January / February. We don't get frost here. It was 94° today!
Dave, I watched your video on crepe Myrtle cuttings. You planted them in sand and yogurt cups. My question is do you have to keep the sand a wet as in your video at all times? Cathi
You seem to be well versed on crape myrtles. Can you give me an idea why the crape myrtles on my area (Northeast Texas - zone 8a) have not bloomed as well this year as in previous years? Every crape myrtle tree in our area did bloom, but only about a third as much as last year and the previous years. And the blooms seem to drop quicker this year also. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks in advance.
This is just a guess but it could be caused by weather stress. Has it been unusually dry this year in NE Texas? Are you related to any Tennessee Yarbroughs? I'm married to one. ;)
You may be right about the weather stress. We haven't really had a bad drought, but it has been unusually hot and humid this year. We really didn't have much of a Winter either. As for Yarbroughs in Tennessee, I'm not sure. But none that I know of.
Hello Dave I have a question I live in St Louis Missouri. we actually have crepe myrtles here already that have survived through multiple Winters. I wanted to propagate my crepe myrtles. Should I wait till spring to do or do them now and keep them in side under a grow light all winter , I have a grow room. Then plant in spring? Please and Thank you!
At this point in the season I would wait until dormancy then do some hardwood cuttings from the current year growth. You can keep those outside through the winter. Otherwise I would wait until spring and do them as greenwood/softwood cuttings. Those will root very fast.
@@Growingthehomegarden sounds good! I'm excited! Also since I'm new to these you want to prune them up keeping the lower trunk clear of branches correct
I'm in Zone 7 ( NYC ) when is the best time to do this type of cutting....August, Sept? Would this also work with a dwarf crepe myrtle? Also, do u know if a dwarf variety gives suckers?
Throughout the summer would be fine. You can even do some hardwood cuttings in the mid to late winter. I would have to look into the dwarf varieties more to tell you much, I have one dwarf variety but it hasn't performed wonderfully in its current location. It has too much shade.
Would you provide more info on: where do you keep those new propagation while waiting for the root growth? when do you place them on the ground once the roots grow?
If kept outdoors a good shade tree is perfect until they have rooted. Avoid direct sunlight until roots form as they will loose too much moisture too fast with no roots. Once you have roots you can plant them in a larger pot. I typically will wait on planting in the ground until there are more roots in the larger container.
I don't understand the sand thing. Realizing you likely have potting mix and peat and all sorts of wonderful mediums and you choose WET SAND! Shazaaaam! My husband is the murderer let's get that out of the way. Massive chop with a chain saw in the late fall. I will give him the fact it is so sculptural and pleasing to admire and great to hang lights from. : ) BUT three years back we got attacked by the black soot. (pay back I know for sure). I am just about to go out again and rescrub the last of flush of soot of this spring, and will treat it with the soot stuff. Do you think the new cuttings will carry the soot virus? And lastly, last week of May in 90 degrees, zone 6b/7a is it too late for cuttings or air layering anyway? The tree has JUST began to sprout spring shoots. Thank you. PS. Promise to keep Edward Scissor hands down this year. (play on current events)
When it comes to planting the propagated cuttings what is the best method? I have a few in a pot currently and I’m afraid to pull them out and damage the roots. Can I plant the multiple cuttings together in one spot or will that not work because they will eventually each be their own trees?
You will definitely want to separate them. They will compete with each other and overall be less vigorous. When you transplant water them very well and the soil will loosen around them to help you separate them. Don't try to remove extra soil, if it is in a clump plant the clump, soil and roots in the new pot and try not to disturb the roots. Hope that helps a little!
Here are some updates but they aren't the exact same crape myrtle cuttings. I never shot a followup video on the ones in this video: ua-cam.com/video/8qa2FJiU9Ow/v-deo.html
Help! I moved into a house in the country and live among the land of very old, gigantic crepe myrtles! I will deal with them eventually but there are roots where baby crepes are coming up. Can I cut the a section of root and plant it?
If you go to the pinned comment and click on that video I transplanted a crape myrtle cutting into a larger pot. If you mean planting in the ground I didn't do a video for that. My yard is out of space for more crape myrtles!
I have a crepe myrtle that is a 20 foot tree. All my neighbors have it as a bush. If I want to take a clipping of theirs, will I be able to make it into a tree or will it remain as a bush?
If you prune it so that there are only a few trunks, 3-5, it should still grow into the tree form. There are some dwarf varieties that will not grow very tall and may be better suited as a bush though. Most likely they prune it to shape it like it is.
While I don't have a video update on these specific cuttings there are some others I did in this video here:: ua-cam.com/video/8qa2FJiU9Ow/v-deo.html along with some other plant propagation updates.
Crape Myrtles relative is the Jaboticaba
I am going to try this tomorrow. Thank you. I also have small crape myrtles. Can I do it with them too?
Hard wood cuttings are very easy to propagate , just take any new growth from previous year,(in jan, fed, or march) cut in lengths of 8 to 10 in, stick in Builders sand or good potting soil, keep moist (not soggy wet) no need for misting as there are no leaves, I do hundreds each year easiest method I've found.
Hardwood cuttings are great. I do fruit trees like plums that way. Pretty good success rates.
How long does it take to root
Thanks for sharing
@@sheilaedwards9653 Watch again
I’ve rooted some since my comment thank you 😊
9 years in i have groups that grew into each other and made beautiful tree shapes that flower pink and white
I have a few dwarf varieties and one of the plants has two different blooms. I think I actually have two varieties in that were planted and grew together just as you describe!
I trimmed a nice strong two year old Natchez Crape Myrtle in November, when it was unusually warm, and put a 12" long stick in the ground. It was about 1/8" in diameter. I had two others at the time. Winter froze all three all the way down to the ground. I waited but all of that growth was dead. The cutting is now my largest Crape Myrtle by far! It's about 10' tall and growing fast! The others are doing well now, about 1 1/2 years after freezing back because they have a good, strong root system but still much smaller than the cutting.
I just saw this video, I'm in India and there's plenty of it on the roadside so I picked few stems like you did to propagate! Thank you, I hope they root soon ❤
Also, ive used a mix of sand and cocopeat and its kept moist
Great tips. Thank you. I am in 9b ~ Florida. I have a whole bunch of shoots coming out of 2 trees I just relocated. Wanting to propagate all the shoots. There must be 15 to 20 on each tree! So many crape myrtles! Good thing I've got the room to plant them all. Also.... what a great idea for the hostas I have. They will look so pretty underneath these trees.
Thank you! One that I had growing just got snapped accidentally by my dog and now I’ll help it grow into many instead of it ending up in the compost pile. Appreciate the great information :)
You can hardly kill a crepe myrtles you can cut them down and grind the stump out and you will have crepe myrtle bushes. In 2018 I had to cut one down because of storm damage. I rented a stump grinder and to this day I still have a crap myrtle in that spot
Monthly care videos would be very helpful to those who are newbie gardeners. I know getting the watering and feeding down doesn't come easy to all.
Those are great ideas. I'll work toward that! I work full time right now so it can be a challenge to post regularly like that would require but it is something I would like to do.
Thanks for the video. I have always wanted to propagate some crape myrtles for some friends and here you are. I'm in Southern New England, zone 6a, crape myrtles grow well in my front yard. Slow growing, but they don't die back, despite the brutal winter we have had. It has been 6 years now since I have them in the ground, they've been blooming in the early Summer until the early Fall.
I have found that if I followed the advice of a gardening book I have and I cut off about half of each leaf, it seems to stimulate the cutting to grow roots and new leaves. I have never successfully rooted a leafed out cutting when I left the leaves intact. Also the newer varieties like Natchez, Muskogee, and Tonto seem to be far easier to root than the older varieties such as William Toovey and Carolina Beauty.
Interesting. Will try this. Thanks
Great video! I live in Central Florida Zone 9b and these are very adaptable to my environment. It's hard to grow much here, especially in the summertime, but these tend to thrive and keep on growing. Very low maintenance and easy to care for. I love these strategically placed around the property. I actually want to propagate these and I haven't had any success lately. It's great to hear what tips your using for this. I appreciate the help and information very much! Have a beautiful day 💛
I need another Crepe myrtle for my landscape so Im going to try this! Otherwise I usually feed the suckers to my rabbits branch and all. I have my crepe myrtles trained as trees to shade my front porch, I love them!!
I started my cuttings a week a go, and I saw new young leaves on the nods, I hope that was a good sign.
It's a good sign but don't be tempted to pull them for a while. Give them plenty of time to root. Leaves don't always mean roots have started.
Really hoping to learn how to do this properly. Haven't had any luck so far. They do well for about a week and then die. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. But I have one crape myrtle that's spouting all over the place from disturbed soil (we cleaned out an old garden bed) so maybe I can transplant those to a new location this winter. I want to use them to shade the back of my mobile home. It's so freaking hot here in Texas. Thanks for the video!
I just purchased two different kinds of crepe myrtle (the purple and enduring summer white). I'm excited to see what the outcome will be. Thanks for your propagating video. I do want to try to propagate both of them.
Hey let's see those cuttings now!! ❤
I love the fragranced crape myrtles. I do this with my yellow forsythia bushes to create more.
Thanks! Wish me luck with a Tonto Red dwarf! I've been trying to root this for a year. Tried just water, tried soil mixed with sand, but haven't tried just sand yet. Appreciate it!
Fine bark shavings may be another option. I've had some really good success with that lately.
We have them in Western Maryland mountains and it can be below freezing for January and Feb. The crepe mrytle does well here.
I'm experimenting with some cuttings myself but just learning how. My parents found out by accident that they will root easily when they put some cuttings in the ground as a border for something else.
By the way, that large Crape Myrtle looks great but that vine that is growing in in will kill that tree eventually. I just spent a huge amount of time removing one from a Crape Myrtle and there was much less green left at the top afterward because what had been there was in large part the vine.
Where do you get the red sand you put the cuttings into..?.we have been called Zone 7 , but now they say we are Zone 8. We have a red/ruby colored crepe myrtle and have had it about 5 years. . Itwas supposed to grow to 6' to 10'. so I put in in a pot then under our eaves. It should've grown that tall but wants to grow to approximately 12'....so it loves it's position, but I have to keep cutting it back. It was glorious this last year of 2022.... thinking it has probably rooted thru the bottom of the large plastic pot that it is in so may cut the pot off and maybe report or plant someplace else ..My husband will be 82 this year and myself 80 so we're not into major "anything" even though the Good Lord has been helping us maintain our home and yard of just under an acre for 47 years now. SOOOOO glad you showed this easy process to start more crepe myrtles....our property could easily use two more...so I'll start several and possibly have some to give away😊
In Fiji it's called Christmas Trees. It flowers in December. One of my Favourites.
That's cool to know! Thanks for sharing!
If you want to put them outside on a old table with the legs in plastic cups or used large bottle drink container cut in half filled with water and rock salt because slugs can't tolerate salt. I did this around my and my Husbands house because I had put pineneddles around the house and slugs like pineneddles. My Daddy told me this it's true. So I got a bag's of rock salt, putting it tight, about 3 to 4 inches, (removed pine needles first)
Well, hopefully you can try it. Old school, I love it 😊
Tank you for the video. What months fertilizer the crepe myrtle tank you
I don't fertilize my crape trees once planted. If still in pots you may want to fertilize in Spring to early summer.
I had 2 that grew from seeds!! I never planted them, I noticed one day under my crapes that there was a small one about 3 inches high. I dug it out and replanted it, it's getting big. Now I have another growing in almost the same area, I'll replant it soon.
They do like to self sow. Sometimes they turn out the same as the parent plant.
Sounds like you got shoots coming up from the mature plant's roots. That's a good way to start another plant.
not sure the differences. i got again from a seed a crepe myrtle. I grabbed a stem, guess my mistake was not trimming at the node, or using sand. Lucky me I did manage to do a Golden dew drop from a stem. but not a zone 10 plant for me Lol will bring inside that I am so impressed and shocked, going to grab another branch, and try to take your suggestion to it . thanks not many videos of it or people at my channel interested.
A seed grown crape myrtle could have different traits than the parent like flower color or size. One taken from a cutting will be a genetic duplicate and should have the same traits as the original.
How would you go about getting a cutting from a new offshoot around the base of the tree and what should I look for? I am very new to propagating, so I also need to know what comes after the wet sand, how much light/darkness is needed, what temperatures (I live in central Texas so it's hot), and how long until it should be planted in the ground and the baby steps in between! If you know another video or blog post that goes over these, it would help me not fail!
The way you showed how to trim the cuttings was very helpful!
Fellow Texan 🥰 I would say if you are using this same technique then place the "cup" in a south facing window (inside) for max sunlight. Then plant in spring. That should give it enough to to form a really good root that should survive our texas summer with lots of watering at sun down 🤷♀️
You didn’t show how you actually stripped the leaves before you planted them. I am trying to keep mine super small so I’ll be pruning as much as necessary. My ultimate goal is to have a beautiful, blooming bonsai crepe myrtle. I’m getting my cuttings from my tree that is the tallest I’ve ever seen. This Crepe Myrtle is every bit of 40 feet or more and blooms a couple times a year. These blooms remain for about 3 months, but shed just as quickly. Thank you for your demo and have a blessed day.
There's not much to stripping the leaves really. Just pull them off. I generally will hold the cutting in one hand then scrap down the stem with my other hand which will remove the leaves.
This is a great video!!
Once they have developed roots; how do you actually transplant them.
Move to a larger container with potting soil??
Thanks so much for sharing the knowledge you have on propagation
Thanks for sharing i want to do that also.. but my husband doesn't believed that i can plan even without seeds...i wanna try this too😊
Give it a shot!
Kind of easy to propagate this plant
I was successful to root a cutting from crepe myrtle tree. However I do not need another tree. Can I restrict the growth to just shrub in a 3 gallon pot?
Great video! Thanks
Dam I been using the hard wood. Thk u
That can work as well. The key is first year growth in most situations.
There are so many types of sand, which did you use? I have sand for my kids sandbox, sand for my pool filter, sand for my pavers in patio. 🥴
Great video and thanks for the information. One question though? Should the cuttings be placed in full sun or in the shade, while waiting for them to take root? Thanks, in advance.
Shade definitely. The cuttings will dry out way to fast otherwise. A little dappled sun would be fine but not full sun. I would do most of my cuttings under the shade of a Japanese maple. That worked really well.
Very interesting plant. 👍 🙂
Thanks for a great video, I've been wondering how to do this.
My neighbor has a beautiful white one that I love so much.
It's probably only four to five feet tall, is that too small to take cuttings?
Also do you leave the sand wet like that the whole time or let it dry out?
I'm in Kentucky zone 7A and today is July the 31st.
Is it too late now to take cuttings and if not when do I plant them in the ground and care for them after that, over winter?
I know absolutely nothing about propagating trees and I appreciate any help you could give me.
Thanks and God bless you
Jude, from Kentucky
✝️🐴🇺🇸⚒️🇺🇸
A 4 to 5 ft tree should be fine for cuttings. You never want the cuttings to completely dry out. Usually if they dry out for very long they will end up failing.
@@Growingthehomegarden
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly.
How big do they have to be before I plant them in the ground and do I need to put some kind of covering over them for the winter?
I am leaving here and moving to the country so I wanted to get some cuttings from her tree before I leave.
I'm sorry to be such a bother but I want to make sure that I do this right.
Again, thank you
@@jude7321 You're not a bother at all! I would say when they are about a foot tall you can plant them safely. I would recommend protecting them if you are moving to the country. Deer will graze on everything. Wrap it while small with a piece of wire fencing or chicken wire until it's big enough to be left un protected.
@@Growingthehomegarden
Ok, got it.
I have some cages that I made out of wire fencing that are about 3 and 1/2 ft tall, so I'll be sure to do that.
I might be getting back to you later if I need more help but I sure do appreciate you.
God bless you
Jude
Great video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. Also is it possible to turn just a single cutting into a multi trunk crepe myrtle?
Thanks for this helpful video! We did this and about half of the cuttings are flourishing after a month. When should we move them from wet sand to potting soil?
If you have some good roots you can move them anytime. Just be very gentle when transplanting. I'll leave any sand or rooting medium attached and plant the roots and medium in the new pot so I don't disturb any of the roots.
What a timely video to appear in my “recommended” inbox. I was just going to dig out some suckers from around my Dynamite Red crepe Myrtles. Do you have any videos on pruning mature crepe myrtles?
I haven't made a video on pruning crape myrtles but probably should. It's something that is often very badly done. Those suckers should be good rooting material.
@@Growingthehomegarden the reason I’m asking is because I’m having trouble getting my Dynamite Reds to grow into a canopy. The branches keep growing straight up.
Generally you will want to allow 3 to 5 branches of the crape myrtles to grow. Pune off the suckers from the bottom when they appear and limb up the sides of the trunk to somewhere around 5 ft or so. However much you want to have with just a trunk. The canopy will push upward and you can then just do corrective pruning to prevent crossed branches. Prune off branches that point in toward the center of the tree and allow those that point outward. Hope that helps some!
I have a question please, I found a crape myrtle behind my shed. It only has one 6 foot stem. Two branches off off it. How do i replant and branch it out. Any help will be greatly appreciated
If you trim it a little at the top you may spur growth down along the branch and create some side branches. Otherwise you can look for a sucker (branch coming from the root) and nurture it until the tree has your desired branching.
Mine died during this years Texas freeze. So now it has shoots that have grown from the bottom of the tree. Had to cut the dead tree . Now they blooming profusely! Can I completely cut the old trees since the saplings have taken over?
You can! Leave 3 to 5 suckers to grow into new trunks and cut back the dead stuff. They should grow quickly with the already established root system.
Great video!
Great video. Doing this today
Wish I knew this before buying one small tree of Amazon for 65 bucks....my neighbor has one already could have just used that...thanks though my fav tree
Wow, that's pricey for a crape myrtle. I think you can find one locally for a lot less. Or a lot larger.
Thanks for this video! I planted mine in sand inside plastic pots with drainage holes, will that work?
It should! Just make sure they don't dry out completely and hopefully some good roots will form.
What time of year do you recommend to propagate? Thanks!
I find the most success from early to mid summer. The early softwood can be very floppy and sometimes doesn't do as well as something a little later in the season.
Lovely I just ordered some seeds online how would o propagate them I'm in the Caribbean.
Put them in a good seed starting mix and just keep them moist while germinating. They grow fairly well from seed. When they get too large for your container transplant them quickly because their root systems grow fast.
How long do you keep the cuttings in the wet sand before transplanting to dirt/woodchips?
It really depends on how long it takes roots to form. As soon as I have some good signs of rooting I check them and if the roots are forming well I'll transplant to a larger container with potting soil. That's usually when there are a few roots forming and they may have a little length to them. Those roots are tender so you have to be very careful with them.
Do you have a follow-up video to this video? I'm just curious if your cuttings did get roots and how long does it take for crepe myrtles to grow roots? Thank you.
Those cuttings did not get a video but some other crape myrtle cuttings I made were included in general update video here: ua-cam.com/video/8qa2FJiU9Ow/v-deo.html
Hello! What is the process for suckers off myrtles? Is it any different than what you just described? Thanks
You can treat them pretty much the same. They may root a little easier since they tend to be fairly vigorous.
Wow 😮 that’s Excellent to know
Thank you so much!
I did commit "crepe murder" in March and they are blooming beautifully...so all mine is first year growth. When is the best time of year to propagate from cuttings?
Ideally in early summer but you could still do it successfully through the end of summer.
Please answer...do you put holes in these sand containers for drainage? I am confused, being a newbie. It seems holes would drain and dry the sand out. Nothing said in the video.
You are correct that they will dry out faster if you put holes in them. What I would recommend is putting a few holes in the side of the container 3/4 to an inch above the bottom. That will keep some water in the container but not waterlog the cuttings.
@@Growingthehomegarden Thanks for the quick reply. i did sixteen cuttings late Sunday afternoon without the holes. I am going to put the holes in today. I will heat a small screwdriver and melt 2-3 holes in each clear plastic cup. Can I assume that it is not too late????
It should be fine. I've grown them both ways, with and without holes.
I’m in zone 8B and it is beginning of March. Can I take new spring cutting and put in sand on north side of building to propagate?
Hi. Thanks for video. I have question about soil. It's just yellow sand? nothing more?
I will normally use play sand, builders sand, or paver sand. It's an inert material that doesn't harbor diseases. You can use other combinations that should work too. Perlite/peat or vermiculite/peat are often used. Even fine bark shavings works. The idea is to minimize the opportunity for pathogens to hurt the cuttings.
Are you watering this sand every day.Do I just keep it wet.They won't rot? Good video and you have a lovely crepe myrtle garden.
I just keep them barely damp. They can rot if you have it too wet so monitor them and only add the water that you need.
Hi Dave I have a few questions that I dont think were covered in the video and sorry if these are dumb questions:
How much direct sunlight a day should the cuttings get?
Should i be misting them to keep the leaves refreshed?
Should I keep the sand moist or let it dry out after the first soaking?
Thanks in advance!
Keep them misted or provide a humidity dome. I would keep it out of direct sunlight until rooted. Definitely not dumb questions!
@@Growingthehomegarden thank you dave so far so good!
I found a variegated new growth at the bottom of one mine, dug it up cut it off the root and put it in water
Do you think it would grow roots?
I really want it to live
It's possible. Many variegated plant varieties were developed this way as a sport off of another tree. Take care of it and you may have something very interesting!
Should I use a growing bag for this and will I need to add water to the sand during the four to six weeks?
It looks like the containers don't have drainage holes, so the sand shouldn't dry out too quickly. What's your guidance for watering over the 4-8 week rooting period?
You're correct. I didn't put drainage holes in. I monitor them and make sure the sand is moist but never there with standing water. It works out to adding a little water every 2 to 3 days. If I were using a misting system I would definitely put drainage holes in the bottom.
@@Growingthehomegarden Got it, thanks for the info!
You're welcome! Are you trying some cuttings this weekend?
@@Growingthehomegarden Yes, I have one that needs some trimming so will give it a go.
Can you use the sand/water method to propagate any kind of plant?
I've used it to propagate a lot of plants. It drains well and is inert. It's also easy to sterilize later with boiling water. I can't say it can be used for every plant but it works well for a lot of plants.
@@Growingthehomegarden Ok. Thank you. I'll just use the trial and error method...lol I'm good at killing plants so we'll see how many survive me!!!
Its Summer or nearing end of it here in NYC. I bought a Purple Magic Dwarf over a month ago and now its blooming nicely, but i do not see any opportunity to take cuttings as each branch has beautiful blooms still. I also have a 30 year old one that is over 20 feet tall and spreading out over 18 feet, and in full bloom as it always does here in late July. A friend gave me a hardwood cutting late this past Winter and for months it only shows 2 roots, about 1 1/2 inches long. I don't know what to do with it as Fall approaching and i am in zone 7b, like you, I think.
I would keep that cutting in a pot for a while. It may be the roots need some fertilization to push more growth forward. It should be OK if the winter isn't too bad. If we get into a really cold spell you may want to bring it in to an unheated garage area for those cold snaps. I would maybe wait until this fall and try some hardwood cuttings or in spring when growth starts of getting some greenwood cuttings. Another option would be to try growing some from seed but it probably won't be exactly the same as the original.
I have mine outside near bright light but shaded, do I need to keep plastic bags over them for humidity (live in NC) and does the color of the bag matter?
It needs to be able to let some light through. Lighter plastic bags will do better. Avoid planting in direct light when you have plastic over them as it may cook the plants.
Hi Dave, how can I get seeds instead of seedlings? I want something I can transport and Plant to a different state, not sure if I can move seedlings in a suitcase.
Good question! The seeds come in a small pod that start off like small ball then open with wedge like shapes like sections from an orange. Gather those up if you can find them and you should be able to sow them at your new place.
Thanks for the response, anywhere you know to purchase these online? All the places I have looked only sell seedlings.
I have seen seeds at Amazon but I can't vouch for their quality. I've also seen some for sale on Etsy. I would lean toward Etsy and you can probably vet the seller better.
@@Growingthehomegarden Thank you.
You're welcome! If you find a source you like let me know. I'm always interested in finding good seed companies.
You didn't mention anyrhing about watering. How often did you water these while they were on your racks in your garage?
Since weather and temperature conditions can vary a lot it's good to check on them daily. If the medium is drying out give it enough water to be damp but not too soggy. I have lost more cuttings than I can count by not checking on them when I needed to! Probably every 2-3 days they will need watering.
@@Growingthehomegarden awesome. Thank you for the info.
I have seen beautiful crepe myrtle, that are half on color, and half another color, I am trying too root a pink, with a maroon, what do you think?
Can I just do my probation with just water in cut for weeks ? My green thumbs is not the best but I’m trying.Please advise I live in Florida.
You may be able to with crape myrtles but I haven't done the water method with them.
Is there a best time of year to take the cuttings? I am in Southern California and we have a lot of Crepe Myrtle in public spaces that I can pick up, with permission of course. Right now they are in beautiful bloom, so I would have the advantage of knowing which color I was getting. Thanks.
In my area early summer works best but they root very well all summer. We need to have enough time for them to harden off to survive winter. I suspect you could root them fine in Southern CA just about anytime.
My friend has an old 20 footer in his back yard. He has what looks like seeds and would like to give me some. I do not have room for a 20 footer, but could i use these seeds and control them to about 6 feet in a container?
I think you could but you would need to prune out the main stems periodically. There are shorter varieties though that may suit the pots better.
Thank you so much will do
I live in TX...can I do this in October or should I wait until the spring?
When is your first frost date normally? Or do you live where you don't get frosts?
@@Growingthehomegarden occasionally, we get ice in November but IF we get any, it's usually January / February. We don't get frost here. It was 94° today!
Then may have a little time. You generally want a few weeks after rooting occurs to build a good root system. Overall I think spring will work best.
@@Growingthehomegarden Thanks!!!
Can you propagate while its dormate
Or only when it has Green leaves
You can. Hardwood cuttings will work too.
Dave,
I watched your video on crepe Myrtle cuttings. You planted them in sand and yogurt cups. My question is do you have to keep the sand a wet as in your video at all times?
Cathi
You don't. Just as long as they retain some moisture where the cutting doesn't dry out.
You seem to be well versed on crape myrtles. Can you give me an idea why the crape myrtles on my area (Northeast Texas - zone 8a) have not bloomed as well this year as in previous years? Every crape myrtle tree in our area did bloom, but only about a third as much as last year and the previous years. And the blooms seem to drop quicker this year also. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks in advance.
This is just a guess but it could be caused by weather stress. Has it been unusually dry this year in NE Texas? Are you related to any Tennessee Yarbroughs? I'm married to one. ;)
You may be right about the weather stress. We haven't really had a bad drought, but it has been unusually hot and humid this year. We really didn't have much of a Winter either. As for Yarbroughs in Tennessee, I'm not sure. But none that I know of.
omg i love you man great video
Is there any videos showing when/how you transfer from the containers to the ground?
Hello Dave I have a question I live in St Louis Missouri. we actually have crepe myrtles here already that have survived through multiple Winters. I wanted to propagate my crepe myrtles. Should I wait till spring to do or do them now and keep them in side under a grow light all winter , I have a grow room. Then plant in spring? Please and Thank you!
At this point in the season I would wait until dormancy then do some hardwood cuttings from the current year growth. You can keep those outside through the winter. Otherwise I would wait until spring and do them as greenwood/softwood cuttings. Those will root very fast.
@@Growingthehomegarden sounds good! I'm excited!
Also since I'm new to these you want to prune them up keeping the lower trunk clear of branches correct
That's what I like to do. I try to leave only a few main branches coming from the crown to allow it to grow in a tree form.
Really wish I could have seen the leaf stripping part, did you strip the branch as well, or just removed extra leaves only?
I just removed the lower leaves from each cutting and left 2-3 at the top of the cutting.
Thankyou for sharing
You're welcome!
I'm in Zone 7 ( NYC ) when is the best time to do this type of cutting....August, Sept? Would this also work with a dwarf crepe myrtle? Also, do u know if a dwarf variety gives suckers?
Throughout the summer would be fine. You can even do some hardwood cuttings in the mid to late winter. I would have to look into the dwarf varieties more to tell you much, I have one dwarf variety but it hasn't performed wonderfully in its current location. It has too much shade.
Would you provide more info on: where do you keep those new propagation while waiting for the root growth? when do you place them on the ground once the roots grow?
If kept outdoors a good shade tree is perfect until they have rooted. Avoid direct sunlight until roots form as they will loose too much moisture too fast with no roots. Once you have roots you can plant them in a larger pot. I typically will wait on planting in the ground until there are more roots in the larger container.
I don't understand the sand thing. Realizing you likely have potting mix and peat and all sorts of wonderful mediums and you choose WET SAND! Shazaaaam! My husband is the murderer let's get that out of the way. Massive chop with a chain saw in the late fall. I will give him the fact it is so sculptural and pleasing to admire and great to hang lights from. : ) BUT three years back we got attacked by the black soot. (pay back I know for sure). I am just about to go out again and rescrub the last of flush of soot of this spring, and will treat it with the soot stuff. Do you think the new cuttings will carry the soot virus? And lastly, last week of May in 90 degrees, zone 6b/7a is it too late for cuttings or air layering anyway? The tree has JUST began to sprout spring shoots. Thank you. PS. Promise to keep Edward Scissor hands down this year. (play on current events)
So you just used regular sand and added water to keep the sand moist? How often do I water them? Thank you.
Check them daily and if they appear to be drying out add a little water. It was either builders sand or play sand.
@@Growingthehomegarden ,Thank You
I live in Alabama when would be a good time to do hardwood cutting
I would wait until about 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date. You could do it sooner than that though. Southern Alabama or Northern Alabama?
@@Growingthehomegarden I live in northern Alabama crape myrtles are the hardest for me to root but yellow belles and rose of sharons no problem.
Ok it is may 23 can I do some cutting now or wait till the middle of June or play around with them now
When it comes to planting the propagated cuttings what is the best method? I have a few in a pot currently and I’m afraid to pull them out and damage the roots. Can I plant the multiple cuttings together in one spot or will that not work because they will eventually each be their own trees?
You will definitely want to separate them. They will compete with each other and overall be less vigorous. When you transplant water them very well and the soil will loosen around them to help you separate them. Don't try to remove extra soil, if it is in a clump plant the clump, soil and roots in the new pot and try not to disturb the roots. Hope that helps a little!
I'm about to propagate from a pride of india plant at work. I'm just curious how yours ended up. Did you ever post a video of them?
Here are some updates but they aren't the exact same crape myrtle cuttings. I never shot a followup video on the ones in this video: ua-cam.com/video/8qa2FJiU9Ow/v-deo.html
Help! I moved into a house in the country and live among the land of very old, gigantic crepe myrtles! I will deal with them eventually but there are roots where baby crepes are coming up. Can I cut the a section of root and plant it?
You can but if you do there will probably be suckers that appear from where you cut it.
Love Crape myrtles but they are pricey. Do you sell seedlings?
I don't right now. I used to run a small nursery business but I'm not currently doing that.
Thanks!!!! 👍🎉😺
Hi there! Is there a follow up video to this? Would love to see
I have a bunch of propagation updates including crape myrtles in this video: ua-cam.com/video/8qa2FJiU9Ow/v-deo.html
Do you have a video or info on planting them in soil after they root?
If you go to the pinned comment and click on that video I transplanted a crape myrtle cutting into a larger pot. If you mean planting in the ground I didn't do a video for that. My yard is out of space for more crape myrtles!
@@Growingthehomegarden yes I was meaning into a pot. I'm heading to check the video out now. Thanks!!
Can I use all purpose coarse sand I bought from Home Depot for this?
You can. I've used play sand, builders sand, and paver sand. They all seem to do about the same for me.
Can you propagate them in water?
Can you propogate this in water or use rooting hormone and stick in in the soil?
Thanks. Now I know.
So you put them in shade while they root?
Yes. That is so that they do not stress under the sunlight and lose moisture too quickly. Once rooted you can reacclimate them to sunlight.
My motherhas a big one in her front yard in Nashville.
They grow very well here!
I have a crepe myrtle that is a 20 foot tree. All my neighbors have it as a bush. If I want to take a clipping of theirs, will I be able to make it into a tree or will it remain as a bush?
If you prune it so that there are only a few trunks, 3-5, it should still grow into the tree form. There are some dwarf varieties that will not grow very tall and may be better suited as a bush though. Most likely they prune it to shape it like it is.
@@Growingthehomegarden Thank you. I am looking at the Black Diamond variety. Love the vibrant color! I hope it will be like my tree!