Crepe Myrtle Murder: The Right and Wrong Way to Prune

This time of year, the question comes up: What can I be doing in the yard?

A warm day hits and anticipation builds for Spring. My suggestion is to consider some clean up pruning; especially the Crepe Myrtles.

So many times Crepe Myrtles are pruned incorrectly (as shown in picture to the left).  You must understand a Crepe Myrtle is a tree, not a shrub. Therefore, do not take a chainsaw and cut all limbs off shoulder high. This is not the correct way to prune a Crepe Myrtle. Treat the plant as a tree. In a similar fashion as a shade tree.

First, remove crossing limbs and canes, then root sprouts,sometimes referred to as sucker growth, and basic dead wood removal.

Lastly, try to tip prune any old seed pods approximately 8 to 12 inches. Tip pruning is best done between January and March. If the tips are not pruned, the new growth will  emerge 7 to 10 inches from the old seed pods, leaving dead tips as growth emerges in the Spring.

The general idea is to leave the plant in a multi trunk form with a canopy effect (shown below). Since Crepe Myrtles can grow to over 24′ tall, try to never plant the  tree too close to a building because as it grows the first thing that will come to mind is cutting it back. Make sure the tree has plenty of room to grow and develop  and it will never need to be topped, just trimmed and cleaned up as it naturally matures.