Muskogee Crape Myrtle Tree Growth Rate, Pruning, Care, Spacing

The Muskogee Crape Myrtle was developed by the US National Arboretum in 1978 as a cross between the Japanese Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia faurei) and the common Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica). The Muskogee Crape Myrtle yields clusters of fragrant light lavender flowers that bloom for an extended period of time. Each Muskogee Crape Myrtle cluster consists of hundreds of lavender flowers and can range in size from 8" to 16" long. With a flowering span of 120 days, the Muskogee Crape Myrtle has one of the longest flowering seasons of any Crape Myrtle. 

Muskogee Crape Myrtle grows exceptionally tall with little alternating leaves that are curved at the base and range in length from 1 to 3 inches. The leaves of the Muskogee Crape Myrtle are bright green in the summer and turn yellow and red in the fall. The Muskogee Crape Myrtle exfoliates its cinnamon-colored bark in small strips each summer, revealing a smooth, light gray-colored bark underneath. Muskogee Crape Myrtle is flexible to a broad variety of soil types, is extremely drought resistant, and exhibits excellent resistance to powdery mildew.

Muskogee Crape Myrtle Tree Growth Rate, Pruning, Care, Spacing

Muskogee Crape Myrtle Tree Growth Rate

The Muskogee's natural beauty is incomparable. Muskogee Crape blooms for 120 days, which is substantially longer than others. In other words, you'll have 4-5 months of gorgeous, purple color to show off your home. Muskogee Crape is a tall and magnificent tree that grows up to 5 feet every year. When fully mature, the Muskogee Crape Myrtle will reach a height of 25-30 feet and a spread of 20 feet.

Muskogee Crape Myrtle Tree Pruning

When it comes to crape myrtles, it is preferable to let them alone rather than prune them incorrectly. We've all seen over-pruning, where people cut crape myrtles back too much each year, causing unattractive "knuckles" or enormous "fists" to grow. Gardeners and lawn care "professionals" cut the previous year's branches all the way to the knuckles, causing these fists to grow larger each year.

When all of last year's branches are pruned back to their roots, the tree does two things:

  • It will produce larger but fewer flower clusters than usual.
  • It will produce significantly longer branches than it would usually.

When the tree is fully bloomed, however, those lengthy branches become unable to carry the weight of the heavy blossoms. When it rains, the branches tremble and sometimes even snap. This isn't good. It doesn't have to be that way, though.

You can prevent these issues by employing the trimming strategy. Rather, you'll prune in a way that encourages the growth of twice as many branches each growing season, resulting in a broader canopy and more blooms.

Muskogee Crape Myrtle Tree Care

Muskogee crepe myrtles are quite simple to grow. Simply find a sunny, well-drained location for your tree and plant it. Water in with eco-seaweed and cover with mulch to deter weeds and aid in moisture retention. Eco-gypsum should be added to heavy clay soils to help break up the clay and improve drainage.

Muskogee Crape Myrtle Tree Spacing

Plant Medium Crape Myrtles 6'-10' apart and Standard (Tree) Crape Myrtles 8'-12' apart to achieve a look in which the canopies of the plants grow together and give shade.

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