pruning crepe myrtle trees video

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. Pruning is done in winter when the plant is dormant between the months of December and February.

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Crepe Myrtle Pruning Time for General Maintenance.

. If you need to prune your crapemyrtle tree or shrub thinning branches to limb up the crapemyrtle is the correct method. A healthy well-structured crape myrtle will have only a few main trunks. To learn more about How to Prune a Crape Myrtle Tree you can read my article on Pruning Crape Myrtle.

To keep crape myrtle bushes at. Pruning to Encourage Blooming. About 1 1 2 feet out from the trunk make the first cut from underneath the branch sawing up halfway through the branch.

Pick the right tool for the pruning you want to do. This Crape myrtle is in need of pruning. Figure B below indicates where to make cuts when pruning your crape myrtle tree.

Early spring before new growth is the best time to prune crape myrtles. Removing the unnecessary ones first means reducing the overall amount of pruning you need to do. Remove lower limbs that are thinner than a pencil diameter.

Start at the bottom. Paul Thompson 2015 Clemson Extension. The habit of crape myrtles is to produce multiple trunks which can cause the plant to get crowded as it matures.

What if branches have grown and are touching a structure or a roof can they be pruned. There are arguments for and against pruning to. I like using my bypass pruners to easily cut back branches up to 34 inch.

This is the best time to prune if you are reshaping the tree removing deep or weak branches trying to. Some gardeners suggest that a crepe myrtle should be pruned after flowering to encourage the plant to flower again. 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.

The methods of pruning dwarf crape myrtle range from easy to not at all. Remove any branches in the canopy that are crossing or rubbing another branch. There is a right way and a wrong way to prune a Crape Myrtle tree.

Improper pruning leads to Crape Murder. Your goal is simple. The correct way to prune crape myrtle bushes is to simply prune away last seasons growth during the winter when the bush is dormant.

You need sharp pruning tools whose use will depend on the diameter of the branches and limbs. The same tree after pruning. That said I usually do at least a light annual pruning on mine.

When is the best time to trim or cut back crepe myrtles. Crepe myrtle sometimes spelled crape myrtle is a showy flowering bush or tree that thrives in warm climates. With a formal style when you prune crepe myrtle trees you are pruning for outward shape rather than inner openness.

Jonah gives us a great run-through of what to look for when pruning. Each plant is different. Let me demonstrate how to correctly prune a crape myrtle.

Below we have provided some example of a properly pruned crape myrtle. Properly pruning you crape myrtle will maximize blooms promote new growth and give your plant a great shape. 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.

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. So the bottom line is if you make a mistake most likely your tree will recover in a few seasons. Most people dont know this.

Finally prune off the 2 1 2. 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.

Pruners are good for small branches up to 34 inches in diameter. In this video Kerry Heafner shows you How To Prune Crape Myrtle Trees correctly. First things first.

Prune away the long dormant limbs that grew during the summer and remove all the seed pods. You need to decide what look you would like for your tree to have. When is the best time to trim or cut back crepe.

Pruning crepe myrtle trees video Monday May 9 2022 Edit. Yes prune them by limbing up the tree. Cut side branches lower than 5 feet off the.

Prune away all sucker growth that sprouts from the bottom of the bushes trunk too. First of all pruning crapemyrtles is optional. Height can depend upon the size of the tree so generally it will be halfway up.

Bigger branches up to 1 ¾ inch diameter require that I use my robust set of loppers. Whenever you prune you cause the tree to generate new growth. Make pruning cuts for shaping removing dead and damaged branches and giving the plant structure.

Are you committing Crape Murder. Use a saw for large branches over 1 12. 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.

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. Now the good news is that Crape Myrtles are one darn tough plant. Then go a foot further out along the branch and cut all the way through the branch from the top.

It does well in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7 through 10 and may survive winters in Zones 5 and 6. 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. Choose loppers for branches 34 inch to 1 12 inches in diameter.

There are too many trunks and the canopy needs to be thinned. 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. 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.

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. This will ruin the natural form of a Crape Myrtle tree.

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