Thunderstruck™ Coral Boom™ Crape Myrtle Tree for Sale - Buying & Growing Guide

Planting and Care

by John Haryasz | Horticulture Writer and Landscape Designer – last update on November 17, 2022

Planting instructions

You should plant your Thunderstruck™ Coral Boom™ Crape Myrtle Tree in a location that receives between six and eight hours of sunlight per day. Ideally, the soil in that location should be on the looser side to allow for good drainage and have an acidic to slightly acidic pH. To plant this tree, dig a hole that is as deep as the root ball is tall and about twice as wide. Place the plant in the hole and backfill the hole while supplying water. Complete the process by layering organic mulch over the planting area.

Watering and nutrients

Just after planting your Thunderstruck™ Coral Boom™ Crape Myrtle Tree, you should give it water about once or twice per week during the first month. For the rest of the first growing season, you can water about once per week or once every two weeks. For the rest of this plant’s life, you should water it based on the soil moisture. Once the first three inches of soil have dried out, it is time to add some water. Feed this plant once per year in spring using a general-purpose fertilizer. Consider repeating the feeding in the fall.

Pollination

During the prolonged bloom period of the Thunderstruck™ Coral Boom™ Crape Myrtle Tree, this plant will attract countless insects to its flowers. Those insects will feed on the nectar in the flowers and carry the pollen from the male flower structures to the female structures. Since the Thunderstruck™ Coral Boom™ Crape Myrtle Tree is a self-fertile plant, a single plant can conduct pollination by itself without the need for a second plant. Unfortunately, there is no incentive for gardeners to encourage pollination since the fruits of this tree have little to no value.

Pruning

During the late winter or the early spring, you should gather a set of sharp and sterile pruning tools to prune your Thunderstruck™ Coral Boom™ Crape Myrtle Tree. Your main goal when pruning should be to remove any branches that are dead, diseased or damaged. You may also want to perform some light shaping, but this will not always be necessary. Since the Thunderstruck™ Coral Boom™ Crape Myrtle Tree blooms later in summer on new wood, you won’t need to worry about removing any of the season’s blooms while pruning early in the season.

Pests, diseases and animals

There are a few common diseases that you’ll need to look out for while caring for your Thunderstruck™ Coral Boom™ Crape Myrtle Tree. The two most prevalent of those diseases are powdery mildew and leaf spot. Both of these diseases can arise when your Thunderstruck™ Coral Boom™ Crape Myrtle Tree either receives too much moisture or does not have access to enough sunlight. Additionally, insects can also feed on the blooms and foliage of this plant. The pests you’ll find most often on your Thunderstruck™ Coral Boom™ Crape Myrtle Tree are aphids, Japanese beetles and scale.

Achieving maximum results

The Thunderstruck™ Coral Boom™ Crape Myrtle Tree typically grows with a multi-stemmed habit, which means you should encourage a younger version of this plant to develop a few main stems that will provide the plant with its main structure throughout its life. After your plant has developed those stems, new suckers will likely continue to appear at the plant’s base. When pruning, be sure to remove these suckers, as they can detract from the plant’s overall appearance and strength.

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