My wife found crepte myrtles on sale and purchased a dozen for me to plant at our home. We live in Brazos co, and have a heavy clay based yard, should I wait until cooler weather to plant them or proceed onward
disregarding this August heat. I have them in the shade of our oak trees,and keep them watered daily.

If you decide to plant them, wait until the soil has had a chance to drain. With all the rain this year you can damage the soil quality by working it to soon after a big rain.

My personal opinion would be that you could plant them now. Crepe myrtles are super-hardy. Just make sure you use a lot of mulch, and you will need to water them a little more often than if you waited until the Fall. Also give it a little "Rocket Fuel" (Gardenville) or some other fertilizer when you plant it. It is a quick source of nitrogen and helps the transplanting process.

Others here may disagree on planting it now.

Good advice but keep in mind-
Any added stuff like the rocketfuel, or earthworm castings, or anything that is not the native soil should not be placed in the backfill- only the dirt you dug out to begin with. Added stuff goes on TOP of the backfill, and on top of the area around the planting hole.

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Shepherd of the Trees
It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields we know so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.

It sound like my best shot is to plant them. How far should I prune them back, or should I prune at all? Please advise, I need lots of help.

NO PRUNING!

Never prune in summer if at all avoidable. Also none is needed for planting. Only cut away dead or disseased wood.

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Shepherd of the Trees
It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields we know so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.

Make sure you keep them moist but not overwatered. A biweekly spraying with Garrett Juice or seaweed, using a hose-end sprayer set at 1 ounce per gallon, will assist them to get started in their new earth. Spray the whole tree, trunk and all, and do the ground around also. Make sure you do that at a time when they will not be in sun.

When you plant, make sure you backfill with the same soil you removed. You can do VERY minor pruning in fall after they drop their leaves, but keep it small this first year -- just remove the suckers/shoots you don't want. Unless they really look askew, avoid it till next year... then you can shape as you wish.

You may now see multiple posts following, saying NO PRUNE again... so read this thread too: http://dirtdoctor.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2642

Enjoy your new yard!

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...Bill

Bill, .... "(Spray the whole tree, trunk and all, and do the ground around also. Make sure you do that at a time when they will not be in sun.)"

...are you saying when we foiliar feed, its best when the plant will remain shaded??? Many of my plants have not spruced up in the least after an application of home grown compost tea/with added molasses, orange oil, yada-yada. Some have wilted, but I sprayed them first thing in the morning with a whole day of sun still ahead of them. There was an earlier post on Geraniums and Hibuscus that were turning brown and yellow by a person who sprayed them with Garrett Juice/compost tea, whatever...
Lou Warren

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Have a rocko-socko-bop-o day!!

Bill,
I know that you are really wanting to push the idea that it's okay to prune crepe myrtles, and I agree. But I think what others are trying to point out is that this "monkey see, monkey do", wide-spread practice of topping crepe myrtles is not good. I know that you aren't saying to top them, but for some reason, and for many years, this is what you were supposed to do.
I love to prune mine. It's an art form in itself as long as you do it right.

Kent

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Listen to Neil Sperry every week, take notes... and then do the exact opposite.

Forget about listening to Neil Sperry. Listen to the Dirt Doctor and do has he says. Why waste your time listening to someone who has no idea about organics, and promotes chemicals, when you can be listening to the one person, in this area, who has spent a life time studing, researching, and teaching the principles of healthy living by using the organic approach!

Just my 2 cents worth.

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Greg...
Converting one person at a time to Organics, the only way to go!! [ ME ]

Hey, Gar... it's supposed to be a joke. You're not really supposed to listen to him. The part about doing just the opposite is where the humor comes in. The only time I really listen to Sperry is to hear the latest lunacy in the chem world. Don't get your compost in a lather. Kent

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Listen to Neil Sperry every week, take notes... and then do the exact opposite.

I understand it is a joke. I just don't want the newbies to take it serious and actually listen to him and continue to use the nasty chemicals. My neighbor listens to him all the time. I am trying to get them converted to The Dirt Doctor. He is a die hard chemical person. He told me that if he could get plastic flowers, trees and shrubs, he would plant them because he hates to take care of them. I think he is just lazy. I told him that he has plenty time now that he is retired.

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Greg...
Converting one person at a time to Organics, the only way to go!! [ ME ]

If the newbies read the part about "do the exact opposite," I think they will figure it out. Anyway, that's enough on that topic. Back to the thread. Kent

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Listen to Neil Sperry every week, take notes... and then do the exact opposite.

I have read many times in many places that, for foliar feeding, it's best to do when they won't be in direct sun for awhile. Remember that vinegar, a constituent of many teas, is acidic, and you don't want the strong sun giving it a boost -- even if it is diluted. Also, it would tend to dry almost as soon as it hit the leaves/grass/flowers, thereby reducing the chance for the dissolved nutrient uptake, as well as coating flowers esp. in ugly brown patches. Finally, IIRC from my biology days, trees respire more at night than during daytime, so that's why I try to do it at dusk.

Works for mine!

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...Bill