pruning crepe myrtle trees video

Crepe Myrtle Pruning Time for General Maintenance. For starters the plants really dont require pruning - they have a slower growth rate than their larger growing cousins and usually have a good natural form all on their own.

How To Prune Crape Myrtles

Whenever you prune you cause the tree to generate new growth.

. In this video Kerry Heafner shows you How To Prune Crape Myrtle Trees correctly. Pruning Crape Myrtle Trees is done by slowly removing one-by-one all side lateral branches up to a height of 5-feet or so. Finally prune off the 2 1 2.

Prune away the long dormant limbs that grew during the summer and remove all the seed pods. The rule of thumb is to trace down from the top of a stem from the seedpods if the tree bloomed to where that stem meets a branch. Yes prune them by limbing up the tree.

Pruning crepe myrtle trees video Monday May 9 2022 Edit. Remove lower limbs that are thinner than a pencil diameter. That said I usually do at least a light annual pruning on mine.

Things like inward growing branches damaged branches branches that are too close together or rubbing against each other and other minor issues that could affect the canopy of the tree. Prune away all sucker growth that sprouts from the bottom of the bushes trunk too. The correct way to prune crape myrtle bushes is to simply prune away last seasons growth during the winter when the bush is dormant.

If you are just looking to perform general maintenance on your tree the ideal crepe myrtle pruning time is either in the late winter or early spring when the tree is in its dormancy. Remove any branches in the canopy that are crossing or rubbing another branch. Early spring before new growth is the best time to prune crape myrtles.

What if branches have grown and are touching a structure or a roof can they be pruned. Using a pair of sharp bypass or lopper pruners make a cut about 6 to 12 inches or so above the intersection - never below the. Are you committing Crape Murder.

To learn more about How to Prune a Crape Myrtle Tree you can read my article on Pruning Crape Myrtle. If you need to prune your crapemyrtle tree or shrub thinning branches to limb up the crapemyrtle is the correct method. This is the best time to prune if you are reshaping the tree removing deep or weak branches trying to.

Cut side branches lower than 5 feet off the ground from each selected tree trunk as the tree grows again while the tree is dormant with loppers or. You need sharp pruning tools whose use will depend on the diameter of the branches and limbs. A healthy well-structured crape myrtle will have only a few main trunks.

Properly pruning you crape myrtle will maximize blooms promote new growth and give your plant a great shape. Each plant is different. The canopy has been opened up to allow in more sunlight and the lower limbs and suckers have been removed to develop the trunk structure.

Below we have provided some example of a properly pruned crape myrtle. When is the best time to trim or cut back crepe. Like all trees the correct way to prune a crape myrtle involves enhancing its natural form rather than trying to force it to grow in a space that is too small or an artificial shape.

Cut side branches lower than 5 feet off the. A natural style of pruning will mostly address the limbs within the tree that may be keeping your crepe myrtle tree from putting on the best show it can. Pruning is done in winter when the plant is dormant between the months of December and February.

Crepe myrtle sometimes spelled crape myrtle is a showy flowering bush or tree that thrives in warm climates. This Crape myrtle is in need of pruning. In a well pruned crape myrtle the trunks grow upward and outward with.

Start at the bottom. Crape myrtles naturally grow as small upright or vase shaped trees with multiple trunks. Improper pruning leads to Crape Murder.

Then go a foot further out along the branch and cut all the way through the branch from the top. There are arguments for and against pruning to. Let me demonstrate how to correctly prune a crape myrtle.

First things first. It flowers all summer and offers abundant bright-colored blossoms that range from white to deep purple. If the plant is in the correct place and can grow to its mature size let it grow.

The methods of pruning dwarf crape myrtle range from easy to not at all. So the bottom line is if you make a mistake most likely your tree will recover in a few seasons. Removing the unnecessary ones first means reducing the overall amount of pruning you need to do.

It does well in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7 through 10 and may survive winters in Zones 5 and 6. Paul Thompson 2015 Clemson Extension. There is a right way and a wrong way to prune a Crape Myrtle tree.

When is the best time to trim or cut back crepe myrtles. Make pruning cuts for shaping removing dead and damaged branches and giving the plant structure. Use a saw for large branches over 1 12.

This will ruin the natural form of a Crape Myrtle tree. The habit of crape myrtles is to produce multiple trunks which can cause the plant to get crowded as it matures. Jonah gives us a great run-through of what to look for when pruning.

Pruning to Encourage Blooming. Height can depend upon the size of the tree so generally it will be halfway up. To keep crape myrtle bushes at.

Your goal is simple. Pick the right tool for the pruning you want to do. Choose loppers for branches 34 inch to 1 12 inches in diameter.

First of all pruning crapemyrtles is optional. The same tree after pruning. You need to decide what look you would like for your tree to have.

Pruners are good for small branches up to 34 inches in diameter. Some gardeners suggest that a crepe myrtle should be pruned after flowering to encourage the plant to flower again. With a formal style when you prune crepe myrtle trees you are pruning for outward shape rather than inner openness.

Now the good news is that Crape Myrtles are one darn tough plant. Bigger branches up to 1 ¾ inch diameter require that I use my robust set of loppers. Figure B below indicates where to make cuts when pruning your crape myrtle tree.

I like using my bypass pruners to easily cut back branches up to 34 inch. There are too many trunks and the canopy needs to be thinned. About 1 1 2 feet out from the trunk make the first cut from underneath the branch sawing up halfway through the branch.

Most people dont know this. This is because dormant buds become stimulated when the ends of the stems are cut and new flowers will develop at the tips of these cut stems.

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