The neighbors might be pruning crape myrtle wrong, but that doesnt mean you should butcher yours, too.
Ginny Weiler
Perhaps no shrub or treesuffers from the pruning mistreatmentthat crape myrtles do.
Its such a widespread problem that theres a name forpruning these treesincorrectly: crape murder.
Credit:Ginny Weiler
So when, why, and how should you prune your crape myrtle?
This guide explains everything you better know, and provides tips from an expert.
Ralph Mitchell is Director of the University of Floridas Extension Office in Charlotte County, Florida.
Credit:Erica George Dines
Tips for Pruning Crape Myrtle
Crape myrtle trees actuallyneed very little pruning.
So why is crape murder so widespread?
They usually cut way too much off them and harm the plant.
Credit:Andre Baranowski
Less is more is my mantra when it comes to pruning crape myrtles.
And let these tips guide your pruning shears as you work toward these goals.
Prune crape myrtle in winter.
Crape myrtles bloom on new growth, so theres nodanger of ruining spring flowers.
Do not lop off the top.
Do not behead yourcrape myrtle.
Thats what we call crape murder, Mitchell says.
Dont do it, topping is terrible.
Prune off anydead or dying branchesor branches that have crossed one another.
The goal is to maintain healthy, well-spaced trunks that make up the main architecture of the tree.
Never remove more than 25 percent of the tree in one pruning, Mitchell says.
Erica George Dines
4.
Limit the number of trunks to 3 to 5.
Dont let it grow more than seven.
Fewer trunks tame the crape myrtles spread and give it a lovely form.
Single-trunk crape myrtles can fit into a tighter spaces.
Cut off the suckers.
Remove suckers from the base of the tree.
This is the new growth that emerges from the roots, and you should snip them off.
You dont want those to become a mass of new wood, Mitchell says.
Don’t remove seed pods.
you could cut offold seed podsbut its not necessary, Mitchell says.
The crape myrtle will bloom fine.
No, crape myrtles do not need pruning every year.
But crape myrtles are happy with little intervention from you and your pruners.
Some people also choose a species of crape myrtle thats too big for the spot its in.
When it reaches its mature height, they do an extreme cut to make it fit where its planted.
Right plant, right place, goes a long way to avoiding crape murder, Mitchell says.
A late spring prune my delay blooms.
