Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by John Haryasz | Horticulture Writer and Landscape Designer – last update on November 26, 2022

Planting instructions

To plant your Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree, begin by digging a hole that is as deep as the root ball is tall and at least twice as wide. Place your shrub in the hole and backfill the hole while supplying plenty of water. Finish the job by adding a layer of organic mulch. The location in which your plant your Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree should be one that receives six hours of daily light or more, and it should have soils that have good drainage and a decent amount of nutrients.

Watering and nutrients

During your Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree’s establishment period, it will need water multiple times per week to ensure consistent soil moisture. After establishment, your Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree will need significantly less water and will likely do well on a weekly watering schedule. Fertilization for this plant is quite straightforward. All you need to do is apply a balanced fertilizer once per year in late winter or early spring. A 10-10-10 blend typically works well.

Pollination

Throughout nearly all of the summer season, the Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree will carry a large set of nectar-rich blooms. Those flowers will be highly effective at attracting a wide variety of pollinator insects, including bees. They will feed on the nectar and perform the pollen transfer from one flower to another. Since the Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree is self-fertile, a single plant can produce fruit, and pollination should occur easily.

Pruning

Pruning is vital if you wish to keep your Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree as healthy as possible while looking its best. Start your pruning in late winter with the main goal of removing any part of the plant that is dead, damaged or diseased. You may also need to remove crossing branches to thin this plant’s canopy, which lessens the odds of disease. You should also prune this plant to encourage a few main stems that will constitute the main structure while removing suckers that appear later.

Pests, diseases and animals

Unfortunately, the Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree can encounter several pest issues in its life. The insects that are most likely to cause an infestation are Japanese beetles, aphids, scale insects and ambrosia beetles. Along with those pest threats, the Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree can also experience disease issues. Most of the diseases will arise as a result of excessive moisture or poor soil drainage. Such infections include powdery mildew, sooty mold, black spots, root rot and canker.

Achieving maximum results

The Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree grows in hardiness zones 6 through 10. However, since this plant is considerably smaller than most crape myrtles, it’s also easier to grow in a container, giving you the opportunity to overwinter this plant. Anyone who wants to grow the Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree in zone five or colder should select a container that is wide enough to accommodate the root ball with large drainage holes. Then, ensure you bring your Ruby Prince™ Emerald Empire® Crape Myrtle Tree indoors before the temperature drops to 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

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