The KPRC Radio Gardenline Tip By Randy Lemmon For 07-28-05 Printer-Friendly Version



Crape Myrtle Chronicles For 2005...



(Notice: This newsletter contains links to previous Gardenline tips in our archive, many of the old ads and links in those newsletters will not be "live.")

About two years ago, at about this time on the calendar, I was getting hammered with questions about Crape Myrtles. Back then, I thought it was appropriate to pull together all the email tips we had ever done on Crape Myrtles. Once again, while I'm getting lots of Crape Myrtle questions via email and on the radio program, it was my personal Crapes that had me thinking about prolonging the blooming season once again. Ultimately, I thought what a good time to give the Crape Myrtle Chronicles another shot, while adding two more tip sheets to the overall mix. The beauty of this week's tip sheet is that you only need to go to that aspect which is piquing your Crape Myrtle interest. In other words, you don't even have to read my short little paragraphs explaining each tip sheet, for you can simply link on the bolded line that is appropriate to your question.

The first question I'm getting a lot of right now is sort of multi-tiered, regarding insects and black sooty mold. Remember, the black sooty mold is almost always a symptom that you have insect problem. And for Crape Myrtles it could be aphids or it could be white flies. Whatever the case, the answers are in this email tip from last year.

BLACK SOOTY MOLD - INSECT INFESTATIONS
< http://kprcradio.com/pages/listenernewsletter/GardenTalk_07-18-02.htm >

The next most often asked question, at this time of the year with regard to Crapes, has to do with another fungal-type subject. But these questions are about the white film that seems to dust the leaves of the Crapes right after wet, humid, cooler-than-normal nights. This is affectionately referred to as White Powdery Mildew, and this is what we had to say about it just this past spring.

WHITE POWDERY MILDEW
< http://kprcradio.com/pages/listenernewsletter/GardenTalk_05-15-03.htm >

It's also at this time of the year that many folks want to know if there's any way to prolong their blooming season on these wonderfully colorful landscape specimens. And there is. We covered this subject in detail last July, and here are the tricks to prolonging such Crape Myrtle Blooms.

PROLONGING THE BLOOMING SEASON
< http://kprcradio.com/pages/listenernewsletter/GardenTalk_07-04-02.htm >

Also, from last year, we provided a tip sheet about the unusual flower-failure of many Crapes in the area. Thankfully, this year, the problem has not been near as prevalent. However, with the excessive rains of this July, the problem may begin showing up again. If that seems to be your problem please read this tip sheet below.

CRAPE MYRTLE FLOWER FAILURE
< http://kprcradio.com/pages/listenernewsletter/GardenTalk_09-09-04.htm >

Finally, the next tip sheet is actually a permanent tip sheet on our GardenLine webpage, and has to do with the Crape Myrtle Massacre or Crape Murder that takes place every year. I recently included a letter in the introduction to my new book from Debbie Johns who moved here three years ago from Michigan. She did what some uninformed or uneducated landscaper told her to do, and that is to over-prune the crapes each year to the same spot. As she noted in her letter, she then started listening to me, and now here crapes are beautiful. Here's the tip sheet that helped here out.

AVOID BEING PART OF THE ANNUAL CRAPE MYRTLE MASSACRE
< http://www.950kprc.com/gardenline-crapekilling.html >


And in case you have not had the opportunity yet, here's the link for ordering the listener discounted version of my new book "Gulf Coast Gardening with Randy Lemmon."
  • < http://www.lulu.com/content/144050 >

    Only as an email tip subscriber can you have access to ordering this book at a discount. Okay, let's be honest here - if you would like to share the above link with anyone else, who is not subscribed to the email tips, they too can enjoy the only discount available for this book until the end of August.




    Until next issue, here's to Great Gardening from the GardenLine, heard exclusively weekend mornings from 8 to noon on Talkradio 950 KPRC.