Transplanting crape myrtles

I have a few volunteer crape myrtles in the yard that need to be moved. They have been there for a few years, and have grown to a right good size, but have been cut back. I tried to dig up one of the stumps, but found a huge long tap root over a foot long under it, and still can't get it out. How long are the tap roots, and will the tree die if it gets cut off or broken?

Here is a photo of the crepe myrtle's tap root. There is at least a foot of the tap root showing, and it's still about 1 1/2" thick where it's going into the ground at the bottom of the 18" deep hole.

I really need some advice here! Can I just wrap a chain around it and pull it out with a truck? Will it survive? Can the tap root be cut? Help! lol

I have two others that are slightly smaller than this one to dig out. I hope they don't all have tap roots like this one!

Crepe myrtles are hard to kill. Even if your transplant happens to die, more than likely the roots left behind from the mother plant will usually push new plants up in no time. I've moved a few - most are successful but the roots left behind always find a way to push up some new plants. A volunteer in our front bed was dug up twice and the first time the transplant did die. The roots quickly grew new plants and I dug those up earlier this year (five plants - lost the two smallest ones) and now the roots are sending up new plants so I will spray and cut these until I kill the mother plant.

I also dug up 3 purchased plants (Tonto) and moved them from their original location (close to the side of the house) to close to our property line - about 8 feet further away. The roots left behind sent up many new plants from all the severed roots. I pruned out what I didn't want and had a nice little allée for a few years. Just cut all the second growth wood to the ground a week or two ago to give the other plants more sun. Will probably be fighting the new growth for a couple of years by cutting and spraying.

Here is a photo of the Tonto CMs where the ones on the right were second growth from the severed roots and the ones on the left were the original plants.

I just saw your second post after composing this and would have to say your plant may have a hard time making it since you've knocked so much "dirt" off the roots.. Yes, the tap root must be cut if you want to get that out of the hole. The severed roots should send up new plants.

I didn't know if cutting the tap root would kill it or not. Will it grow another tap root if it survives?

Thank you for your reply and input! :)

I have no idea if it will grow another tap root or not since I never dug a CM up twice. I just know most CM transplants will succeed if you have enough roots (and I am guessing root hairs with root ball may make all the difference, i.e. do not worry about the tap root) and that severed roots of the mother plant usually will send up new plants soon after the plant is dug up (CMs are very hard to kill once they become established).

Thank you, hcmcdole! Today I managed to cut it free from that humongous tap root it had. The few leaves on the plant are not withered. We had some rain last night, too. I'm hoping to get it replanted tomorrow.