No Leaves on Crepe Myrtle? What to Do
With its unique shape and colorful blooms that last through the summer and early fall, the crepe myrtle can be a great tree to include in your landscape design. While it is considered one of the most durable trees, your crepe myrtle may experience some distress at some point. If you are not seeing any leaves forming on the crepe myrtle by the end of the spring season, the tree is most likely experiencing some sort of stress. With this guide, you will learn a few causes and treatment options for a crepe myrtle that is not forming leaves in the spring.
Harsh Winter
If leaves are not developing on your crepe myrtle in the spring, the cause may have been a harsh winter. Excessively cold winters are not ideal for these trees, which is why they are best suited for southern climates.
Toward the end of winter or early part of spring after the last frost, you should prune your crepe myrtle to remove any branches damaged by the cold temperatures. If you still are not seeing leaves forming even after pruning in the late part of winter/early spring, the tree most likely suffered a good amount of damage.
Check the tree for at least signs of leaf buds. If there are no buds by the middle or end of spring, the tree may be in another type of distress. If the buds are there, remove one and cut it in half. If the bud is brown on the inside even though it is green on the exterior, the tree has suffered cold damage.
Trimming off the branches that contain dead buds may help the crepe myrtle survive, but you still may not see leaves form until the end of the summer season.
Herbicide
If the crepe myrtle has been affected by an herbicide product, it may be experiencing stress that prevents the buds and leaves from developing in the spring. You may have sprayed the area around the crepe myrtle with a weed killer to not only kill existing weeds but also prevent future weeds. Unfortunately, a light shift of the wind could cause the herbicide to hit the actual tree.
If your tree is not developing leaves and you are noticing peeling bark, your tree has most likely been affected by an herbicide product. Consider scraping off a few areas of the bark from the top to the bottom of the tree. If you see green under the bark, the tree may survive. Prune off dead limbs that do not show signs of green under the bark. Continue pruning the tree from the top to the bottom until you see green under the bark.
If the tree does not form any leaves after a season even though you have pruned it, the tree is most likely dead and should be removed. In this case, go to a site like https://www.chudytreeservice.com/ for assistance.
