Crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) are popular landscape plants in the southern United States, and can be found blooming all summer long with a colorful array of flowers in shades of pink, purple, red, white and yellow. In addition to their showy blossoms, these deciduous trees have attractive bark and striking fall foliage. Though crape myrtles are adaptable to many soil types, they are most thriving in soils with high levels of acidity. Therefore, it is important to know if crape myrtle is an acid-loving plant when you’re planning your home landscape.
What is Crape Myrtle
Crape Myrtle is a flowering deciduous shrub which is native to China and India. It is also known as the “Lilac of the South” due to its beautiful, long-lasting lilac-pink or white flowers that bloom during the summer months. This ornamental shrub is perfect for landscapes and gardens and comes in a variety of sizes and colors for versatility. In this article, we will discuss the features of Crape Myrtle and answer the question of whether or not it is an acid-loving plant.
Description
Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia Indica) is an ornamental, flowering tree or shrub that originated in Asia and is also native to parts of the southeastern United States. It can tolerate a wide variety of soil conditions, but thrives best in slightly acidic soils with proper drainage. The tree grows up to 30 feet tall in a curved, vase-like shape and wide canopy with an evenly spaced branched architecture.
The trunk is gray and can become fluted or swollen with age. Its leaves are light green and oval-shaped, turning vivid red to wine purple in the fall. Small white to pink flowers grow on upright clusters that typically appear in late spring/early summer and last until autumn when they give way to dark brown seed pods that grow up to three inches long. Popular cultivars vary greatly in height, bloom color and foliage color. Crape myrtle is an excellent addition to any garden or landscape as it adds both structure and color throughout the year!
Origin
The common name for Lagerstroemia indica is Crape Myrtle. Originating from the tropical and warm temperate regions of Asia, this plant was later introduced to the United States during colonial times. Although native to certain areas of Asia, it has become naturalized throughout much of the Southern United States and is sometimes referred to as a Southern magnolia. The distinctive flowers have earned it numerous nicknames including crepe flower, crepe myrtle, crape myrtle and crêpe myrtle. It varies in size and rate of growth based on its age and environment; some varieties are small shrubs while others can grow as large trees. The bark also changes in appearance with age — small trees will be lighter grey/white while older specimens tend towards darker tones or rough, almost furrowed bark reminiscent of walnut or pecan trees.
Does Crape Myrtle Require Acidic Soil
Crape myrtles are beautiful, easy to maintain shrubs that can be a great addition to any garden. They are often used to as an ornamental tree, but many don’t realize that they require soil with a certain level of acidity in order to grow at their best. So, does crape myrtle require acidic soil? Read on to find out.
pH Level
Crape myrtle is, in general, a fairly adaptable plant. It prefers soil with a pH between 5 and 6, however the exact levels of acidity that it needs can vary based on the mineral content and organic matter within the soil. Crape myrtle will do best when planted in slightly acidic loamy soil with moderate amounts of organic matter. Poorly drained soils may adversely affect growth, and crape myrtle does not do well in heavy clay soils or shallow sandstones.
Soil testing is important to assessing the exact pH level needed for your crape myrtle planting, as these plants are very sensitive to swings in their environment. Low-pH soils tend to produce more yellow foliage during the winter months and can lead to an increased incidence of fungal disease. High-pH soils often result in nutrient deficiencies and poor growth overall. Knowing your soil type is essential for providing your crape myrtles with the best growing conditions possible.
Soil Requirements
Crape myrtles are known for their colorful blooms and vibrant hues, making them a favorite amongst gardeners. However, these hardy plants come with specific soil requirements in order for them to flourish.
For optimal growth, crape myrtles require soil that is alkaline to near-neutral in pH; the ideal range being 6.5-7.5 on the pH scale. Acidic soil can be a detriment to their growth as it can cause iron chlorosis which will lead to yellow leaves if not treated. While there are some varieties that can tolerate slightly more acidity in the soil, it is best to provide a crape myrtle with ground that is as close to neutral as possible when planting or transplanting one into your landscape.
There are several ways you can go about testing your soil’s pH level before introducing a crape myrtle into it and these include buying DIY kits from gardening stores or by sending off soil samples for testing by a professional laboratory or university extension service – all of these should give you an accurate portrayal of your current levels so you can adjust accordingly prior adding any plants.
Benefits of Growing Crape Myrtle in Acidic Soil
Growing crape myrtle in acidic soils offers a number of benefits. Crape myrtle is an acid-loving plant, which means it has adapted to living in soils with a pH of 6.0 or lower. These acidic soil conditions can help the crape myrtle thrive and produce beautiful blooms. Let’s look at the other benefits of growing crape myrtle in acidic soil.
Improved Soil Structure
Growing crape myrtle in acidic soil can bring multiple benefits to the environment. In particular, the improved soil structure and fertility can help promote healthy growth, enable better water and nutrient absorption and improve overall plant health.
Crape myrtle roots will naturally break down organic material in the soil, improving its structure by enabling better aeration and drainage. This provides great nurturing conditions for your crape myrtle plants, stimulating healthy growth, enhanced fruiting yields, improved flowering displays and an increased lifespan of the tree.
The addition of sulfates or other acids to acidify soils for crape myrtles also increases availability of essential minerals for root uptake. By providing sufficient access to nutrient-rich particles such as phosphorus and potassium that are otherwise difficult to absorb in alkaline soils, plants’ uptake is significantly more complete and growth more rapid than on neutral soils.
Furthermore, by allowing for balanced microbial activities within the soil through greater penetration rates of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi (profiting off organic matter decomposition) crape myrtles respond favorably with a stronger root system improvement attributed to high pH tolerance from an acidic base. As a result of its remarkable acidity tolerance capabilities combined with broad environmental stresses resistance properties, many gardeners are successfully planting crape myrtles in very acidic soils without inhibition on their performance while achieving desirable results out of their plantings sustained over years of successful cultivation!
Increased Nutrient Availability
Growing crape myrtle in acidic soil offers several advantages. Most notably, it increases the availability of certain essential and trace nutrients. Because these nutrients play a key role in the growth and health of your crape myrtle, providing them in a form that is accessible to the plant can lead to improved root and shoot growth as well as a more vibrant display of flowers during the flowering season. For example, phosphorus—a vital nutrient for root development—is best available to plants at an acidic soil pH because it becomes less available when pH rises above 6.5. Other important nutrients that become more available in acidic soils include iron (which aids photosynthesis), potassium (essential for flower production), magnesium (used for photosynthesis and plant growth) and zinc (which helps prevent disease). All have higher availability under mild acidity conditions than when soils are neutral or alkaline.
Improved Plant Health
Crape myrtle trees grown in acidic soil will tend to be healthier than those in alkaline soils. For example, if the soil pH is above 7.5 (alkaline), crape myrtle can develop magnesium and iron deficiency, which can lead to yellowing leaves and stunted growth. When the soil pH is balanced in the acidic range between 6.0-6.5, it provides better availability of iron and other essential macro- and micronutrients needed for optimal growth while limiting toxic elements that could negatively impact the trees’ health. Additionally, when planted in a more acidic environment, it promotes healthier crape myrtle foliage due to enhanced nutrient availability and reduced disease susceptibility compared to alkaline soils.
