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Reading: Crepe Myrtle Pruning Step-by-Step
Why do you need my advice ? Because a bunch of you take guidance from your ignorant neighbors neighbors, who prune their crepe myrtles to look like this. 
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This is what I call “ crepe murder. ” I did n’t invent the term. I think it was coined by Byers Nursery, a big wholesale agriculturist of crape myrtles in Huntsville, Alabama. Regardless, crepe murder is bad for several reasons. 1. It turns beautiful trees into despicable stumps. 2. It prevents the formation of reasonably, mottled bark on maturing trunks. 3. A forest of scraggy, whip-like shoots sprouts from the end of each ugly dais. These whips are besides weak to hold up the flowers, so the branches often bend to the ground, like a toast who ‘s about to lose his lunch. 
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The crepe myrtle you see above is deep-pink ‘Miami. ‘ I planted it in my front yard from a 3-gallon pot 15 years ago. I never pruned it much, because I strung it with bantam Xmas lights that I never took down. Leaving them on the tree reduced my christmas decorating each year to 10 seconds. All I had to do was plug in the lights before Xmas and unplug them after. however, not being able to prune without cutting the light cords meant my crepe myrtle grew besides dense and spread excessively wide-eyed. therefore concluding week, I took off the lights. then, aided by my adorable unobserved wife who agreed to take pictures, I ultimately pruned it to show you how it ‘s done and how a mature crepe myrtle is supposed to look. hera is the crepe myrtle before I started. It does n’t look excessively bad, but needs thinning. The tool leaning up against it is my trustworthy pole pruner. I like it because you can extend the pole to cut branches more than 15 feet from the flat coat .
The Goal
Before you prune anything, it ‘s a effective estimate to know what you ‘re trying to accomplish. After all, you can constantly go back and cut more. You ca n’t go back and abridge less. My objective was to maintain well-spaced, independent trunks with big bark and to thin out out the center to permit easily penetration of sunlight and breeze. I always say if a bird can easily fly through the concentrate of your crape myrtle, the branches are spaced about right. If a bird can easily fly through the center of your house, you ‘re credibly missing some windows.
Pruning Tools
To by rights prune a mature crepe myrtle, you need three tools : 1. Hand pruners to clip twigs and branches less than 1/2-inch chummy. 2. Loppers to cut branches 1/2-inch to 1-1/2 inches thick 3. punt pruners or a pruning see to cut branches more than 1-1/2 inches thick .
When to Cut
recently winter is the best time to prune a crape myrtle, because it ‘s leafless and you can well see all of the branches. It besides blooms on fresh growth, so pruning now wo n’t reduce blooming. In fact, it may increase it.
What to Cut
Remove branches in the following order : 1. Branches coming up from the base. 2. All side branches growing from the chief trunks up to a altitude of at least 4 feet. 3. All higher branches growing inbound towards the center of the tree. 4. All cross, rub, and abruptly branches. 5. Branches growing at awkward angles that detract from the tree ‘s appearance. Always cut back to a larger ramify of the luggage compartment. Do n’t leave stubs. Removing seedheads on the end of branches is optional. Leaving them does n’t reduce blooming. I leave mine .
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The Finished Product
Below is the leave of this year ‘s snip. Is n’t it purty ? The crepe myrtle is placid a small dense than I would like, but I can prune it again adjacent winter. Every class, the job gets easier. 
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More on Crepe Murder
It ‘s the gamey crime of horticulture–the nitwitted, annual chopping back of beautiful crape myrtles. Drive through any southern vicinity in early spring and, before long, you ‘ll encounter a spiritually fulfilled suburbanite, pruning see in hand and a pile of crape myrtle branches on the footing. Why do well-intentioned gardeners keep repeating this crime ? Some people think they need to prune off old source heads to have blooms the follow year. This is absolutely false. Others hack back these plants to keep them from getting besides large. These folks need to remember that crape myrtles are humble trees, not basis shrubs. If the plants seem to need pruning every early workweek to keep them from covering the windows or walk, they ‘re planted in the incorrectly place. ultimately, crepe murder is a copycat crime. A batch of people engage in it because they see their neighbors doing it. People shorten crape myrtles by six feet or more, turning beautiful trunks into thick, atrocious butt. Repeated pruning to the like point creates gnarled, knobby “ knuckles ” on the ends of the trunks. A brush of long, weak, flagellate branches then sprouts from each knuckle. These whips are excessively weak to support the flowers and hang straight down like cooked spaghetti. Find out the senesce stature of a choice before planting it. If your crape myrtle grows besides big for its blemish, move it to where it has more room. Or replace it with a dwarf or semidwarf selection. Prune only to maintain natural form. Select four or five well-spaced independent trunks ; remove any others at grind level. Train these trunks to grow up and outward from the al-qaeda of the plant. As they grow improbable, gradually remove all side branches up to a altitude of four to five feet. This exposes the smooth, fine-looking bark. early each form, remove weak, lank growth and all the branches that are growing in toward the kernel of the plant. Prune large branches back to a genitalia. Never leave dense stub.
Pruning Tips for Crepe Myrtles
Remove branches that are excessively close together or that cross or rub each other. It is authoritative not to prune the tops of crepe myrtle trees to make them efflorescence. top may yield larger flowers but does not increase the overall book of blooms. extreme topping much results in fallible growth that tends to bend of respite in summer rains. Houseflies are the dumbest survive things on Earth, literally incapable of learning anything, which makes me wonder sometimes if houseflies equipped with pruners have been savaging our neighborhood ‘s crepe myrtles. No matter how many times I tell folks not to chop their crepe myrtles into big, ugly stumps each jump, they do it anyhow, maiming the beautiful trunks and ruining the natural arboreal shape. But possibly “ crape murder ” is a matter of taste, not intelligence. If so, hera is a pruning undertaking everyone can agree on. You know how a crape myrtle typically sprouts a brush of suckers at the base each spring ? Reach down nowadays, and pull them off at flat coat horizontal surface. That will keep your crepe myrtle from turning into a thick, unkempt shrub. It will besides prove to the global that you ‘re not a housefly. For most of us, that ‘s a good matter. — Steve Bender
When to Buy Crepe Myrtles
Select these trees while they are in bloom. Remember, they can vary greatly in size and flower colors. Choose the correctly size for your landscape to help avoid the ultimate Southern gardening sin, “ crepe mangle ” ( badly pruning your tree to precisely a few sticks and ruining its natural shape ). big selections ( more than 20 feet grandiloquent ) include ‘Natchez ‘ ( white ) and ‘Miami ‘ ( pink ). medium selections ( less than 20 feet grandiloquent ) include ‘Near East ‘ ( pink ) and ‘Regal Red ‘ ( cryptic red ). Dwarf forms ( less than 3 feet improbable ) include ‘Centennial ‘ ( purple ) and ‘Chickasaw ‘ ( pink ). Select a cheery location, and remember to mulch and water well to ease your tree into the landscape. Container-grown trees are easy to transport and transition into the garden well.
Crepe Myrtles in the Fall
Blaze into fall with summer ‘s darling tree.
Read more: Microwave Scrambled Eggs
When people think of crape myrtles, they envision warmly summer days and pink, bolshevik, lavender, and white flower clusters sagging in the sun. But look at these classical trees in fall, and you might be surprised. Brilliant blooms will be replaced by orange, crimson, and scandalmongering foliation for an outstanding fall show .
Color Through the Seasons
Crepe myrtles have rounded, fall park leaves that emerge in the spring. As the upwind warms, the foliation hardens off and turns benighted green. then, when the temperatures dismiss in the hang, leaves gradually transform from green to sparkling fall hues. many gardeners select crepe myrtles by bloom colors, but you can besides choose a plant by its fall foliation ( see chart below ). now is the perfective time to plant these beautiful trees, which come in many colors and sizes to fit your needs and distance. ‘Chickasaw ‘ and ‘Victor ‘ are dwarf trees that grow 3-5 feet tall, making them perfect for little gardens. ‘Acoma, ‘ ‘Hopi, ‘ and ‘Zuni ‘ are small trees and will grow 7 to 10 feet high gear. These can be planted in tight areas where you want a tree but have little distance. Medium ones, such as ‘Centennial Spirit, ‘ ‘Tuskegee, ‘ and ‘Yuma, ‘ grow 15 to 20 feet tall and work well around sidewalks and terraces but can hush be planted close to the house. big crape myrtles, such as ‘Dynamite, ‘ ‘Natchez, ‘ and ‘Tuscarora, ‘ will grow 20 feet or more. They make excellent street trees and can be used in large yards. If you live in the Upper South, choose cold-hardy selections, such as ‘Acoma, ‘ ‘Centennial Spirit, ‘ or ‘Hopi. ‘
Growing Conditions
Crepe myrtles need broad sunlight to perform well. They will grow in ghost, but blooms will be sparse, and plants will get leggy. These hardy trees have few pest or disease problems, and they require little water and fertilizer. besides, crape myrtles need minimal snip. Some gardeners top them per annum, but this ruins their natural shape and beauty. Remove the sucker growth that sometimes appears around the base. only prune to shape trees or to take out any intersect branching. In the winter, you can remove old seedpods by clipping the tips of branches. Summer blooms and fall colors make crepe myrtles a garden front-runner. As the leaves disappear in winter, you ‘ll besides be blessed with beautiful exfoliating bark, which decorates their gracefully sculpted trunks. For year-round interest, remember this southerly authoritative. Plant one now, and watch your tree change with the seasons. — Charlie Thigpen
| choice | size | Fall Color | efflorescence |
| ‘ Acoma ‘ | 10 feet | purple-red | White |
| ‘ Centennial Spirit ‘ | 20 feet | red-orange | Dark red |
| ‘ Chickasaw ‘ | 3 to 5 feet | bronze-red | pink-lavender |
| ‘ Dynamite ‘ | 20 or more feet | red-orange | Cherry red |
| ‘ Hopi ‘ | 7 feet | orange-red to dark red | Pink |
| ‘ Natchez ‘ | 30 feet | orange-red | Pure flannel |
| ‘ Tuscarora ‘ | 25 feet | red-orange | Dark pink |
| ‘ Tuskegee ‘ | 20 feet | bright orange-red | deep pinko to red |
| ‘ Victor ‘ | 3 feet | red yellow | Dark red |
| ‘ Yuma ‘ | 15 feet | yellow to brownish red | culture medium lavender |
| ‘ Zuni ‘ | 9 feet | orange-red to dark loss | medium lavender |
Alkaline Soil and Crepe Myrtles
not all soils in the South pass the acid test. Some turn oak trees yellow and cause the leaves of azaleas and gardenia to become chicken between the veins. These soils do this because they ‘re alkaline. What ‘s alkaline land ? It ‘s soil with a ph above the neutral point of 7 ( a ph below 7 is considered acerb ). It typically occurs in regions with sparse rain, such as West and North Texas and western Oklahoma. But it besides occurs where beds of ancient limestone dwell merely beneath the surface. This is why people frequently refer to alkaline soil as “ limy ” or “ chalky. ” limestone deposits occur in every southerly country except Louisiana ; the territory in many parts of Missouri, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida is alkaline. Alkaline dirt affects plants by increasing the handiness of some territory nutrients while holding rear on others. For exercise, alkaline soil supplies plants with batch of calcium and magnesium. But it ‘s meager with zinc, manganese, and sulphur. These shortfalls can stunt certain plants. The major alimentary most normally insufficient in high ph soil is iron. Lack of iron causes chlorosis ( jaundiced leaves with green veins ). dangerous chlorosis finally kills plants.
To determine for certain whether your soil is alkaline, have it tested. You ‘ll find elementary soil-test kits at garden centers, nurseries, and home provision stores. If you discover your soil is indeed alkaline, you have two options. The first is to completely replace the existing dirty with acid dirty, so you can grow acid-loving plants. But this is arduous and expensive and rarely succeeds over time. A far better solution is simply to select plants that like alkaline territory. There are lots to choose from and many are carefree, drought-tolerant native plants. If you need a little tree with flamboyant summer blooms, try crape myrtle or chaste tree. Both digest drought and are easy to grow .
