Transplanting Crepe Myrtle Sprouts

Question

My crepe myrtle tree has sprouted three “baby” crepe myrtles within its relatively small bed (about five feet in width). What is the best method of transplantation that will give “the mother and her babies” the greatest chance of surviving and thriving in Georgia?

Answer 1

You can simply dig up the suckers (the term commonly used for these shoots) and pot them up in potting soil. When you dig them, up, make sure some of the roots come with the sucker. Keep them well watered and in the shade. When you see new leaf growth, they are ready to be transplanted into the ground. This process will not hurt the mother plant.

I will warn you though that the suckers will not likely look like the mother. Often, crepe myrtles will be grafted trees. This means they take a pretty but weak variety and graft it onto the roots of a hardier but not as pretty variety. The suckers actually grow from that rootstock. It will be a crepe myrtle, but just will look different from the mother tree.