 Gardening with Janet Carson
Pruning Crepe Myrtles
February 2008
Audio/Video Script:
Crepe myrtles are one of the prettiest trees we grow in the south. And they
can be as pretty in the winter time with their bark, as they can in the
summertime with their flowers-- if they are pruned correctly. And we see so many
bad examples throughout the south. Here is a great example of how they look if
they are pruned correctly. We want to have three to five main trunks which we
have here. If you allow them to get some size to them you get this wonderful
coloration in the winter landscape. You do not want to cut them back to their
knees as we all too often see, where they are butchered back to three or four
feet from the ground. Many of these trees produce these large knobby growths
which are very hard to outgrow.
Let’s now go see how to properly prune a young crepe myrtle.
Here is a young crepe myrtle which already has a good structure. We have our
three main canes. The growth is a little low, plus they are also being shaded by
the trees above so we want to direct the growth outwards. Start by taking off
anything smaller than a pencil in diameter. This weak growth will not be able to
support the weight of flowers. Now let’s cut off some more of this. We are going
to cut this back to a bud. This will direct the growth to move outwards. Assess
all this little stuff, and let’s take it off. It’s not going to be strong enough
to support anything. By pruning to a bud facing outward we can cause our growth
to go out in the right direction. This growth is right on top of this branch;
look at that and lets take the whole branch out. When we do pruning, be sure to
prune to the branch collar, so it can callous over or cover up the wound. This
doesn’t look very pretty, but it should get our tree growing in the right
direction.
This next cane has a bit more size to it. We also have branches crossing back
through the center. We also need to try to keep the tree somewhat balanced. This
larger branch is going to come out. Be sure to match the pruning shears to the
size of the job. Taking this branch out is going to open the tree up. Again, you
see all those tiny little sprouts, keep those pruned out. This branch is weak
also, so let’s go ahead and cut this back. Assess as you go, don’t take off too
much too soon; it is hard to glue those branches back on!
Another common occurrence on some varieties of crepe myrtles is these small
suckers or sprouts at the base of the plant. Keep them pruned out. If you allow
them to grow, pretty soon you will end up with a bushy growth habit around the
base of the tree which will compete with your tree. One other pointer, if you
have well established tree with a nice form and structure, you don’t have to
prune annually. There is no need to remove the seed pods. They will fall off as
new growth begins.
One other thing to look at on well established trees. Occasionally a branch
will grow through the tree and begin competing against each other. Every time
the wind blows, these branches rub against each other. If you don’t remove one
of them, both of them will suffer permanent damage. Let’s cut this one out and
the remaining branch should recover.
So learn how to prune crepe myrtles, and they can be as pretty in the
wintertime as they are in the summer. For more information, contact your local
county extension office.
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