When to transplant (flower, grown, tree, crape)

[tramp]

I have 5 Crept Myrtles that I have been nursing since I dug them out of my water pump enclosure. One is about 4 ft. tall and one is 3 ft. The two smaller ones I dug up about 5 months ago. They have really grown since I put them in the larger pots. I water them every morning and put miracle grow once a week. They have all bloomed this year. So when is the best time to transplant them into my yard.

[Reactionary]

Since you appear to live in South Louisiana, Fall is the best time to plant. Be sure to plan for the full-grown size of the plant, dig a nice wide hole, use the surrounding soil to fill the hole, and keep watered (baby them). You shouldn't have to fertilize them or prune them (much) after they're established - crepe myrtles like to be left alone.

When pruning, cut out dead, diseased, broken, or crossing branches. You can also prune for shape (e.g., raise the canopy). Do not 'crepe murder' them.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I agree. I have a dwarf crepe myrtle tree in a large container on my balcony. I prune it after the leaves fall off and it goes dormant, to shape it the way I want.

They will bloom again if you dead-head them after they bloom, so you can extend the blooms by clipping off the dead flower heads during the summer, too.

You could prune yours into a tree shape, or just let it be a shrub. I really like this website. Here's an article on pruning them:

https://www.crapemyrtle.com/pruning.html