Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Dec 21, 2015 8:20 am Help please! In June this year we planted 4 advanced Crepe Myrtle trees (Indian Summer Sioux variety) in our front yard. In spring they had buds and then sprouted leaves. Since then all the leaves on all four trees have turned red/brown and there's no flowering. We gave them some Seasol a few weeks ago but no change has happened. In the Main Street of our nearby town, which has the same trees, they are all green and the flowers are blooming. Does anyone have any idea why ours are like this? It's like they think it's Autumn! We had heavy frosts this winter but now it's hot and dry. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ . Re: Help with Crepe Myrtle 3Dec 23, 2015 5:16 am Have they been getting enough water ? If your ground prep prior to planting these trees was minimal then they may be struggling to get enough moisture until they put down deeper roots. Some trees will also take a while to take hold before they start to look their best. What kind of mulch is that ? Stewie Re: Help with Crepe Myrtle 4Dec 23, 2015 2:25 pm As above, water. Make sure it is soaking in to about 250-300mm deep. I have the same variety and if they get dry the leaves take on a red/orange hue. Once the plant has a mature root system the leaves stay a dark green. Souix flower in mid Jan in Melbourne, are you sure the others flowering are souix? Re: Help with Crepe Myrtle 5Dec 23, 2015 2:29 pm Stewie D Have they been getting enough water ? If your ground prep prior to planting these trees was minimal then they may be struggling to get enough moisture until they put down deeper roots. Some trees will also take a while to take hold before they start to look their best. What kind of mulch is that ? Stewie Mulch looks like dyed wood chips which while attractive isn't a good mulch. Re: Help with Crepe Myrtle 7Dec 23, 2015 11:02 pm http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsh ... hland.html Wood chips are derived from many different hardwood and softwood species. They are often available from municipalities or utility companies involved in pruning or clearing trees. In general, wood chip mulches have a high carbon : nitrogen ratio. This means that in the process of decomposing they may temporarily reduce the supply of soil nitrogen for plant uptake. You can compensate for this loss by adding nitrogen fertilizer to mulched plants. Compared with bark mulches, wood chips tend to lose more of their decorative appearance over time, weathering to a gray or silvery gray color. Because of this, people often renew wood chip mulches each year by adding an additional 3 to 4 inches of chips. This over-mulching not only wastes mulch but can suffocate the roots of shallow-rooted species and cause cankers to develop around the bases of susceptible trees and shrubs. A better practice is to renew mulches every 2 to 3 years and churn up the existing mulch before adding a light renewal layer. Maybe the OP should consider adding a fertiliser high in nitrogen. The best mulch is ugly, i.e. mixed tree bark/leaves etc that will break down, similar to compost. I like the look of dyed bark, but found it's not a good mulch. Of course it's better than nothing. Re: Help with Crepe Myrtle 8Dec 24, 2015 9:09 am Woods chips aren't causing the op's issue, it's lack of water & most likely heat. Depending on the quality of tree stock, the root system maybe poor.. If this is the case the tree requires more frequent watering during warm weather as it doesn't have the root system capable of drawing enough water from the soil to match the rate of evaporation. Yes while wood chips aren't great nutrient wise.. they do allow rainfall to filter through signifigantly better than mixed particle mulch. So it's a trade off.. Hi there, long-time lurker but first time posting. I've bought a house 2 and a bit years ago and last year we had some major water damage on a converted pergola area… 0 7897 Yes, unless you are in a low intensity rainfall area or the area is protected from rain. Do you have access to NCC Part 2 or can you download it? I can email you a copy… 10 12458 Thankyou so much 😀 I've decided on White on white for doors and trims, White on white 50% on ceiling and Mt buller for walls. Fingers crossed it will look OK 😀 2 7138 |