This is regarding a red Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia Indica

I just purchased a large container grown. 12 gal. Crape Myrtle. It has 10-15 nice size long stems. I hate to cut it back more than half to get the 3-7 main trunks. It is November now and I live in Tennessee. I was wondering if I could cut (saw) the root ball in half and re-root it in two containers till spring and be able to plant both trees? Would doing this kill both halves or would they both survive? My experience with crapes is that they are pretty hardy and it might work. Anyone have any luck with doing this? Thanks.

1 Comment (Open | Close)

1 Comment To "This is regarding a red Crape Myrtle, Lagerstroemia Indica"

#1 Comment By drtreelove On 11/07/2018 @ 2:25 am

It’s risky. Even if it survived the cutting through the root ball, soil borne fungal infection could set in through the open wounds and advance through the root system and root crown in the longer term.
Better not to take a chance in my opinion. Pruning of the multiple stems is a more conservative approach an safer.

Article printed from Gardening Know How Questions & Answers: https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com

URL to article: https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com/this-is-regarding-a-red-crape-myrtle-lagerstroemia-indica/

Have any questions about this topic? Visit us at https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com to ask your questions and get friendly answers from gardening experts.

You can also find us at:
'Like' us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gardeningknowhow
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gardenknowhow - @gardenknowhow
Follow us on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/gardenknowhow/