Moving a Crepe Myrtle

 Hi ... I just moved into a townhouse and the previous owners planted a crepe
myrtle right next to the front door. I want to move it before it gets too
big and too old (the townhouse itself is only 2 1/2 years old so the plant
can't me very old). I'm in the Washington DC area so can anyone tell me the
best time to transplant it? Is now okay? Should I wait until the spring?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 I've had good success moving rather small plants (<8') in early to mid
spring. They get an extensive but relatively shallow root system. Be ready
to amke clean cuts through 1-2" diameter roots digging 2' out from the trunk
in all directions. You may also have to cut some that go straight down. Try
to undercut 6-8" down and slide the whole root mass onto burlap  or
cardboard to slide to the new location.Cut the top by half and replant in
the new place at the same depth it was growing originally. Water well, mulch
and stake against high winds if fairly tall and especially if already leafed
out. Sandy soil is a lot easier than clay to deal with. Good luck.
Gary

 CM's are notoriously late to leaf out in our area... anytime in early spring
will be fine.

Dave

 On Sat, 25 Oct 2003 01:29:57 GMT, "David J Bockman"


You can improve you chances of success by pruning the roots now.
Imagine the circle that represents teh edge of your futurte root ball.
divide it into sections (4, or 6, or 8).  Use a sharp spade to cut
throught the edge of every other section (i.e., cut half the roots).
When you dig it up later, you'll have a head start toward transplant
recovery.

Though crapes are actually pretty good at recovering anyway, this
should help a bit to let teh plant adjust to teh move.

Keith
For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit
http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp .
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/

 Thank for all the good info.  Now, at least, I have a plan.