Sirhornsalot
**The Official Horn Sports Landscaper and Landscap
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- Nov 6, 2013
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Do Not Hack Your Crape Myrtles This Month!
Hello February!
The first thing I think of when it comes to this month, landscaping-wise, is that some homeowners and some landscapers are out there hacking Crape Myrtles. Everywhere you look people are having it done. Many in the business call this “Crape Murder.”
They do this, I suppose, because someone somewhere a long time ago recommended it and now it has become habitual. Some homeowners see these sticks in the ground (hacked Crapes) and then run home and do it themselves to their own Crapes, thinking that is what they’re supposed to do.
Folks, just don’t do it. It is the wrong thing to do. And there are plenty of reasons not to, including:
1. Hacking Crapes year after year prevents limbs from ever developing and maturing. Every year the tree has to start over with new, young growth. This growth is soft and tender and vulnerable to high winds which can break them off.
2. Hacking Crape Myrtles causes increase production of sucker growth at the base of the tree. Sucker growth is already something we have to take care of with Crape Myrtles. We worry about sucker growth because, if left unattended, your Crape Myrtles can turn into a bush instead of a tree. It is quite unattractive.
3. Scale, an insect which preys on the bark of Crape Myrtles, is helped when people hack Crape Myrtles. Hacking causes/produces new shoots and narrow crotch angles which are places Scale and hide in for the winter. Scale prefers to feed on new growth so the young, tender new growth in Spring is just what they want. There is no sense in helping predatory insects. They do enough damage without our help.
4. Hacking Crape Myrtles causes a delay in blooming time, which also results in a shorter blooming time over the season.
5. Hacked Crape Myrtles are simply unattractive. If you are looking to improve or enhance the look of your landscape, hacking does the opposite.
6. Hacking a Crape prevents the tree from photosynthesizing, which trees have to have to survive. Without photosynthesis, Crapes have difficulty intaking nutrients which leads to weakness and starvation and the tree tries to survive by propagating new leaves and limbs quickly.
7. The cuts made when hacking open up the tree to increased predatory activity and also disease. So if you’re hacking your Crape to increase bloom yield, the attempt backfires.
8. Hacked Crape Myrtles and plants you may have beneath them are exposed to full sun. Full sun is normally healthy for a Crape Myrtle, but not when it has been hacked. On the contrary, exposure of previously shaded bark can damage underlying tissue. Plants intended for shade that were planted beneath it are also exposed to that full sun.
9. Hacked Crape Myrtles are ugly and cause them to struggle. It destroys the natural beauty of the tree and it is a scar on the landscape.
So what do we do and when?
You should still trim Crape Myrtles in late February. However, trim Crape Myrtles like you would trim any other tree. Remove sucker growth, limbs that cross each other. Remove limbs that are encroaching on the home or roof. Cut away any new trunks trying to form. Keep a certain number of trunks and keep it that way.
You want to remove the extra trunks which inevitably come up periodically, remove branches growing toward the center of the tree, remove broken or dead branches (they will appear gray).
Remove the lower 1/3 of the tree’s branch growth while keeping the upper 2.3s intact.
If your landscaper contacts you about hacking your Crapes, just say no. Your Crapes will thank you for it. And hand your landscaper a copy of this column.
Other items this month
As early as you can in February, apply pre-emergent to your lawn. Applying early is necessary because we simply don’t know how weather is going to behave. If we have a warm month, the weeds will germinate sooner. So applying early accounts for that. Most pre-emergent products have a 3-4 month residual, so it’s still working well into Spring and early Summer.
There are essentially two types of pre-emergent at our disposal. One is Dimension® and the other is Barricade® (generically called Prodiiamide). Dimension is the product you want to use in February and also in August. November’s application should be the Barricade or Prodiamide. The Barricade works best against the grassy winter weeds, such as Poa Annua, while the Dimension works best against broadleaf weeds that we see in Spring, Summer and Fall.
You may also apply pre-emergent to your beds to keep the weeds at a minimum there. Pre-emergent will not harm any of your plants and is relatively harmless to people and pets.
The more product you put down, the more protection you will get. There is no such thing as “too much” with this product.
However, if you have plants in your beds that return each year via seed, DO NOT apply pre-emergent to those areas.
Valentines Day!
February 14, which is Valentines Day, holds more significance to gardeners than sending sweet nothings to your significant other. That day is also when we trim Roses.
It is a unique coincidence that we trim them back on the very day that Roses get sent all over the place by people to their special someones.
Remember to cut your Roses at a 45 degree angle.
ALSO – for vegetable gardeners, Valentines Day is also when we plant potatoes. When you buy your seed potatoes, make sure you set them out in partial sun a few days before planting. When you plant them, make sure you include some granular Pot ash to mix into the soil just before planting.
Parting Shot . . .
If we have a warmer than average February, many homeowners will be tempted to apply fertilizer to their lawns because 1) its warm outside and we want to feel like we’re getting a head start to the season, and 2) it’s fertilizer, what could be wrong with that?
First, DO NOT apply fertilizer until April 1 or after. Doing so earlier than that achieves nothing and poses big risk of damage. In February, your lawn is still dormant and will not grow, which is the primary function of fertilizer.
Secondly, it has been my experience that Mother Nature usually has the final say and we will no doubt get a couple of winter cold fronts move through, perhaps with snow and ice, before end of March.
