Red Rocket Crape Myrtle for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by Mary Van Keuren | Gardener (30+ Years Experience) – last update on December 16, 2022

Planting instructions

Site your crape myrtle in a spot that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight a day. In the northern part of its range, place it in a protected spot away from prevailing winds. Unpot the shrub and tease out any encircling roots, which can girdle the tree and slowly kill it. Dig a hole that’s as deep as the root ball and twice as wide. Place the shrub in the hole, spreading out the roots. Holding it upright and steady, fill in around it with topsoil, tamping down as you go to eliminate air pockets. Water thoroughly. Apply a two to three-inch layer of organic mulch such as bark chips around the root zone to conserve moisture and hinder weed growth but keep it from touching the trunk to avoid problems with rot.

Watering and nutrients

When newly planted, water your Red Rocket Crape Myrtle every few days until you see signs of robust new growth. Then taper off watering to once a week. Once your tree is well-established, the only time you will need to provide supplemental watering is if you are experiencing drought-like conditions. Fertilize the shrub in the early spring with a high-nitrogen product designed for landscape trees and shrubs, such as a 20-10-10 formula.

Pollination

Crape myrtles are monoecious, meaning that male and female reproductive organs are on the same plant, and in many cases, part of the same flowers. This is true for the Red Rocket. Its bright flowers attract insects such as bees and butterflies, which carry on the work of pollination. Pollinated flowers result in small green berries that turn brown in the fall.

Pruning

Crape myrtles bloom on new wood; so, to promote flowering, prune your Red Rocket Crape Myrtle back in late winter or early spring. Prune out the thinnest branches and avoid cutting back more than one-third of the shrub in a single year — a practice sometimes called “crape murder” that results in knobby protrusions at the end of branches. Prune out suckers that occur at the base of the tree and leave three to seven sturdy trunks. You may also prune out any dead, diseased or damaged limbs whenever you see them.

Pests, diseases, and animals

The Red Rocket is largely pest and disease-free. It does not attract common insects such as crape myrtle aphids and Japanese beetles. Even if you do see insect presence on your crape myrtle, a well-cared-for, healthy tree is usually able to fend off infestation easily with no help. Common crape myrtle diseases include powdery mildew and sooty mold, but the Red Rocket is resistant to them and is rarely bothered by these diseases.

Achieving maximum results

Knowing how best to use the Red Rocket Crape Myrtle in your garden or landscape is one way to achieve maximum results. With its spectacular blooms, the Red Rocket makes an excellent specimen planting in a front lawn or other prominent locations. Consider establishing an informal grouping of three or five of these shrubs, underplanted with shade-loving perennials such as astilbes. With a mature height of up to 30 feet, the Red Rocket can work well in a foundation bed, especially for larger and taller homes. In the corner of a large backyard, a Red Rocket would fill the space nicely, providing four seasons of interest for very little effort.

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