Why are my crape myrtles not blooming this year?

This is really strange but some of my crape myrtles are not blooming yet...not even buds. I have two very old tall white Natchez myrtles and they don't even have buds on them. They are very tall now and I don't cut them back anymore. Then I have three more in the backyard that are about five years old, a Hardy Lavender and two red dynamites that just now started the second flush of new growth, but not one bud starting. I did trim these down just a bit when I first started seeing new growth, just like I always do back in late Feb. I have some pink in the front yard that I've already cut off the first expired flowers. I've never not had any blooms on my crapes and can't figure out what is going on, except that we have been really lacking in rain this season. Some of the leaves are turning to the fall color and dry on the edges...if you touch them they fall off. I've been watering the heck out of them, but humidity has been low and temps so high and we get very strong breezes that every thing is drying up so fast.
Is anyone else having this happen. I see many of the crapes blooming around here, but do notice many that normally are breathtaking this time are still not blooming either.
If it is the drought I'd think the ones out front would be doing the same thing because they get less irrigation than the trees in the backyard. I did put a fertilizer on the three five year old crapes back in April...did I mess up? I usually just sake the miracle grow granules but used a quick release liquid fertilizer this time. But I didn't put anything on the huge old white crapes. Two smaller off springs of the whites are blooming fine.
Looked back at my pictures and last year this time all were in full bloom. What is going on?

We're having the same problem with some large ones we transplanted last fall. They have done well and have nice, healthy leaves, but not a single flower bud. In our case, being moved may have affected them, but crape myrtles are so resilient it seems unlikely.

Like you, I'm thinking the lack of rain has had some effect. Maybe they've put all their energy into surviving the drought and didn't have any left to put toward blooming.

I sure hope so...I did notice yesterday when I was weed pulling (which by the way never has a problem growing in any conditions) that even the crapes out front that are blooming have some dried edging to the leaves. You know they made us go to one day watering from Nov. till spring and that really hurt...we had hardly any rain and my lawn looks so pitiful.

You can always go out and hold the hose and water them for 5 or 10 minutes everyday. Hand watering is allowed.
I haven't seen mine in Jax, but will ask Jeremy if they are blooming.
Sidney

the blooms around here haven't been as nice. i think it's the lack of rain. nothing can take its place.

Well at least last night we got a real good downpour...hope it helps, this morning the garden looks very happy.

All my crepes are blooming like crazy as usual. I have to confess along with twice a week irrigation I do hand water in between anything I feel needs it but where they are rarely gets hand watering. My irrigation is out of our canal, my hand watering comes out of our well which is very shallow so I try never more than to the count of 10 on each plant when watering with the hose. As long as you didn't prune off new growth my guess is lack of water just when they needed it most. Hopefully they will come back and you will get rain more frequently. My plants are spoiled I admit when it comes to water. Some look droopy in just 3 days after watering.
Bonnie

lol, finally i meet someone who counts when she waters.....i've done it for so long now, i find myself counting when i do other things to-like walking to the mailbox. hmmm, maybe it's time for analysis! lol

No worries.....I have a great many that have not even set bud yet....and others in the neighborhood are blooming like crazy.... The abnormal freezes in Florida, combined with the drought this summer, I think are just letting plants reset their time clocks and get back on track....
:)

Hi Merry Mary, It's great to see you back posting.
Sidney

Thanks Sidney! :)

I do believe our unusual weather has the plants confused. My mums have been blooming all summer and usually they are a fall plant. I enjoy blooms anytime.
For Tracksinsand. Counting is better than what I used to do. I'd sing to them and got carried away with the song and watered too long. Good thing I don't have any close neighbors to torture. LOL
Bonnie

lol

Since I in NC, I would expect my CMs to bloom later than you guys but I did want to add that each variety of my CMs blooms at a different time. I have a Natchez (white) that just started today (July 4th) and 2 Raspberry Sundae have all but bloomed out after a very successful month. I did learn from this thread that watering is important - maybe more water will help my Dynamite (5 yrs old) to bloom. It's the farthest from my hose outlet and I often forget it. It also gets a little less than full sun.

I am enjoying this thread, thanks.

Paul

Paul deadhead the 2 Raspberry Sundae and they may bloom again for you. I was surprised to find my Tuscaleros would bloom again after I deadheaded them.
Wake Forest is a pretty little town.

You are all correct... FOOD and Water Nothing more. I would refertilize and add additional water for 14 days... you can always use a 5 gallon bucket with holes on the bottom and the sides ( to prevent from being stopped up). Just fill it up and walk away. we produce a couple thousand per year, this is all we do food and water.
HAPPY FOURTH, everyone.

My CM at home is just starting to bloom, and in much reduced volume of buds. At the office, we have about a dozen CM and most haven't started or are just starting to bud.

Well just got back home from a two week vacation away and my Hardy Lavender has two nice blooms and a few more buds. My young Natchez's are fully covered in blooms, but the parent trees that can no longer be trimmed back because they are so big now haven't bloomed yet, on one I see no buds and the other does have some buds starting. My red dynamite are growing new growth but no buds at all...so maybe none this year. We have had lots of rain here in the past week finally and more to come...so fingers crossed it will help.

Thanks LordsNursery for the info.

Maybe they are just mourning the Gator's painful football season last year (I know I am - BSEE'64, Go Gators!)

My little crepe myrtle bush (about 2 ft tall) just started blooming last week. I didn't think it would bloom this year at all. Must be the rain that we've had lately.

I bet it is! I have one that just started blooming (in the ground), but 5 that are still in 3 gallon pots that have not yet...although the rain made them all look healthier!

Well mine large white Natchez's are in bloom now also, just noticed it this past week. My Red Dynamites started to bloom two weeks ago, not near like they usually do, but they are blooming. So I'm pretty sure it was just our drought in the late spring through early summer that kept them from blooming at the normal time. I have three in pots and they still haven't bloomed either, and they did last year. The rain has really helped things along...thank goodness.

I have one that has finally bloomed, but none of the rest have. As long as they stay healthy and green for this year, and don't die, I'll be patient and hope they get back on schedule for next year.

Guess I have been lucky, all my whites, pinks, hot pinks and red have been blooming for over a month now. The have been doing so well, I took cuttings of some and have rooted them, dug up some travelers from Fran's and will eventually plant them along the driveway. Will add lots of color to my forest.

But then we have been in rainy season for over a month now.

molly

Well good to know everyone is enjoying the beauty of the crapes/crepes...Mine all look wonderful now and have been giving some second blooms after I cut back the first. I'm going to try to root my Red Dynamite...is really is such a deep red color. Slow grower, but still a nice accent in the yard. Here is a close up of the blooms taken last week.

I thought my red crepe was Red Rocket, but may be dynamite. It also has been a slow grower but now looks to be finally settled in and accepting this sand out here.

oops, here's mine

Well I have to say good things come to those who wait...this is the second set of blooms on my Tuscarora crepe...and it is the best looking cluster I think I've ever seen on this tree in the five years I've had it. This was actually taken the very end of August.

Molly Red Rocket and Red Dynamite look about the same to me, the Rocket might be a bit deeper red. Both are very beautiful when in full bloom.

Thank you for that info Sun. I get my plant names mixed up sometimes, so mine must be the Red Rocket as I first thought. I did a bit of trimming on it and stuck some cuttings in a pot of soil. Looking at them today, it seems they probably have roots down there. New green on the stems.

My cutting starts have left a lot to be desired lately, so am pleased these seem to be taking.

Molly

I live on the east coast, two blocks from the ocean . I have three crape myrtles and all three were loaded with blooms. They don't get any special watering. A local nursery here won't stock them for sale as the owner says they won't survive in our salty air climate. Go figure, I've had mine for years; however, I do have a little micro-climate area in the back area.