Crapemyrtle
(Lagerstroemia indica) is a valuable addition to our landscape in Newton
County. Originally brought
from China and Korea to the U.S. in 1747, crapemyrtles have
become very popular over the last 20 years.
Many varieties are available, include dwarf and pest resistant
varieties.
While
some people consider a crapemyrtle to be a small tree, others
prefer to call it a shrub. The tree does fit the “official” definition
of a tree—a perennial, woody plant that achieves a trunk diameter
of at least 3 inches and a height of at least 15 feet.
The typical crapemyrtle has multiple trunks, but Astandard@
forms are grown to have a single stem.
Crapemyrtles provide exciting
color, texture, and form in the landscape. The large clusters
of white, pink, red, and lavender flowers are intense bursts of
color atop the green summer foliage. The
exfoliating (peeling) bark creates added interest in both the
summer and winter. The trees are deciduous, losing their leaves
in the fall, and the leaf color is often brilliant orange and
red.
Crapemyrtle
grows best in a hot, dry climate and a fertile, well‑drained
loam. In our area it is very tolerant of sun, heat, and urban conditions.
Crapemyrtles are relatively hardy and pest-free,
but sooty mold and powdery mildew can be a problem on some varieties.
By far the most common problem that
befalls our crapemyrtles is the “topping” they experience at the
hands of well-meaning but misinformed owners and landscape maintenance
personnel.
Which
Crapemyrtle Do You Prefer?
Do not Atop@ crapemyrtles!
Tree Atopping@
is not an acceptable pruning method.
Topping is the indiscriminate removal of limbs at an
arbitrary point to obtain a predetermined height (see Figure 1).
Limbs should only be removed at their point of origin,
where they meet the next branch, with no Astubs@ left (see Figure 2). Tree topping results in limb and trunk decay,
structural defects, a reduction in tree health and beauty, and
often causes tree death. It
also encourages sprouting, and upsets a tree=s
natural balance between the crown and roots.
Topping
is commonly done to many types and sizes of trees, but is especially
common for crapemyrtles, trees that are widely planted throughout
the County on residential and commercial sites, public and private
property, and along our roadways. There are several reasons commonly given by people for why they
top these trees.
One
reason given is that the tree has grown taller than its owner
expected it to and is outgrowing the space it was planted in.
Topping is then used to dramatically reduce a tree’s size.
Another common reason given for topping is to promote blooming. The sprouts that the tree produces from each
stem to recover from topping will be loaded with buds since crapemyrtles
flower on the current year’s growth.
Also, as these trees get taller, owners feel that they
cannot see the blooms as well and therefore top the trees to keep
blooms at eye level! It is also commonly known
that some people top their crapemyrtles (and other trees) simply
because they saw others doing it, someone told them it’s a good
thing to do, or they incorrectly perceive the flush of new growth
after topping as promoting tree vigor.
In fact it is an energy demanding response to the loss
of leaves and limbs.
There
is no good reason to top a crapemyrtle, or any tree.
First, if you want to reduce the size of a tree or shrub,
there is an accepted pruning technique called Acrown
reduction pruning@
that will reduce tree height.
Where trees and infrastructure are in conflict, one or
the other will have to eventually go.
Otherwise, the tree, and probably the infrastructure, will
require an increased amount of maintenance.
When
selecting a new tree or crapemyrtle variety to plant, make sure
you know what the average mature height of the tree will be, and
locate the tree in a place where it will have adequate room to
grow to that size. Some
crapemyrtles can grow as tall as 40‑45 feet and should be
considered a medium‑sized tree, and should not be planted
beneath utility lines.
There
are some new introductions of crapemyrtle that have been bred
for disease resistance, good flowering, and ornamental bark.
Some crapemyrtle varieties are semi-dwarf and grow to be
only 12 to 15 feet tall at maturity.
Lagerstroemia fauriei was introduced in the 1950's and has a rusty
brown bark. Crosses between
L. indica and L. fauriei are high quality plants with attractive bark; they grow
to 20 ‑ 25 feet in height.
To
insure abundant blossoms, maintain the health of your tree.
Mulch the tree, provide irrigation when rainfall is inadequate,
and protect the tree from wounds, insects, and diseases.
Insect and disease problems on crapemyrtles include powdery
mildew, black spot, sooty mold, aphids, and scale.
For more information contact:
Connie Head
(770)385-2178 Voice
City Forester
(770)385-2170 Fax
Building and Zoning Office
trees@cityofcovington.org
2116 Stalling Street
www.cityofcovington.org
P.O. Box 1527
Covington, GA 30015-1527
