Best time to cut back Crape Myrtle

Carol 83

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I've done a bit of research, and have seen people recommend cutting back in spring, late summer, fall or winter. That didn't help me out much. If overwintering matters, it will be in my detached, unheated garage. I do have a crape in the landscape, but it is really big and is still the last thing in the yard to wake up. This one has grown like a weed this summer and obviously needs some serious pruning. Any suggestions are appreciated. cm.jpgcm2.jpgcm3.jpg
 

Carol 83

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They tend to die back a little after fall pruning, so I’d probably wait until spring. They’re vigorous growers, and I’ve had good results anytime during the first half of the growing season.
Thank you. Many suggested (google search) fall was the best time but didn't mention the dieback. That's why I asked here, for trusted advice. If you don't mind, would you suggest a big chop? I'm not scared, it's just a little guy in a nursery pot. I have a much nicer one from Zach Smith, so I am willing to be bold with this one.
 

Hartinez

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Ive seen what Brian is talking about on a landscape specimen in particular. Dieback on branches after a heavy fall prune. As Bonsai I’ve chopped a few back as early as April and as late as August without much issue. I have a Natchez Crape Myrtle that I had growing in my yard for 3 years before digging, heavy root pruning and Hard chopping all in one go in April of this year. Responded exceptionally well and grew vigorously all year.
 

Brian Van Fleet

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If you don't mind, would you suggest a big chop?
No, I’d set it on the ground next spring, let the roots escape and get that trunk fattened up first. It would double in a growing season...and then I’d chop it the following spring. I like bigger trunks, and with CM, you need a bigger tree for the flowers to work. CM blooms at the end of long new growth, so a small thin tree will look goofy with long shoots and blooms at the end.

I have just one CM growing for bonsai, and they’re not the easiest candidates because they do grow so fast. It’s tricky to avoid sucker growth, taperless trunks, congested knots of multiple shoots, and random branch dieback. The challenge is getting even branch spacing and good ramification which will support blooms. Mine has been in and out of the ground several times just to try to get it on a decent path. It’s grown to 8’ tall several times over and I’m pretty sure I don’t want it over 24”...😜
 

Bonsai Nut

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Depends if you want it to bloom. It will only bloom on this year's new growth. You can prune hard as late as May 1, and you will still get flowers come August (or at least I do here in NoCar). However for bonsai you will need to prune several times per season or the tree will run away on you. Also, if you are going to prune in the Fall, make sure that you do so early enough in the season that new growth won't get caught by an early frost. Aside from that, crepe myrtle = prune, defoliate, prune, defoliate :) It is pretty much an on-going process as long as the tree is in active growth mode. Otherwise the challenge is exactly as Brian put it - you have to develop enough ramification to spread the strength over lots of buds so that it won't run as much when you let it rest for the flowers... and the plant will fight you as you try to ramify it.

By the way that is an unusual looking crepe myrtle. None of mine have those long narrow leaves.
 

Zach Smith

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I'm with Brian, I'd wait to chop this one until next spring. If you lived here I'd say go for it now, but considering where you are I think you'll do more harm than good by pruning now.
 

Mikecheck123

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Crape myrtles do this thing where the leaves are kinda opposite kinda not, which gave me fits when I got my first tree guidebook and walked outside to try to ID a tree (that I later learned was a crape myrtle).

Question 1: Are the leaves alternate or opposite?

"Goddammit I can't even tell!" It was not fun start to my tree hobby.

I see that your landscaping one is also whorled! Wild.
 

Carol 83

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So, I thought this one was a goner for sure. We had snow the end of April and a few days in the 20's. My crape from Zach had completely leafed out, but this one sat like the dead. I know they can be late, my landscape one is always the last thing in the yard to wake up. But this one showed no signs of life. I scowled at it everyday when I walked past it but today I saw this. new buds.jpg
 

Hartinez

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So, I thought this one was a goner for sure. We had snow the end of April and a few days in the 20's. My crape from Zach had completely leafed out, but this one sat like the dead. I know they can be late, my landscape one is always the last thing in the yard to wake up. But this one showed no signs of life. I scowled at it everyday when I walked past it but today I saw this. View attachment 378630
🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
 

Carol 83

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I know, right, how exciting! Even my husband who has been bitching about keeping the dead thing around was somewhat impressed. He was ready to use it to start the firepit. :mad:
 

Carol 83

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A couple of weeks later. I guess it's too late to cut back now if I want to see it flower. crape today.jpg
 

VAFisher

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For what it's worth, I haven't been letting any of mine flower for about the last 5 years or so because they just get pruned too often. The flowers are the stars in landscape trees, but in bonsai I think the main feature can be the trunk and the peeling bark. Most of mine are small trees so having flowers is pretty difficult. I might be able to make it look good on my new big one - we'll see how that goes.

As far as branch pruning goes, you should be able to do it all throughout the growing season (assuming you aren't concerned with flowers). Sometimes I do get some dieback of the fine twigs and the ends of some branches but I've never lost entire branches. One trick is to let it grow outside of your intended canopy size in the fall to compensate for some die back over winter. I agree with Brian and Zach about a trunk chop though - I would do that in spring. I did a trunk chop and drastic root prune on a dwarf crape in late May a few years ago (for the mame contest) and it responded very well.
 

Carol 83

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For what it's worth, I haven't been letting any of mine flower for about the last 5 years or so because they just get pruned too often. The flowers are the stars in landscape trees, but in bonsai I think the main feature can be the trunk and the peeling bark. Most of mine are small trees so having flowers is pretty difficult. I might be able to make it look good on my new big one - we'll see how that goes.

As far as branch pruning goes, you should be able to do it all throughout the growing season (assuming you aren't concerned with flowers). Sometimes I do get some dieback of the fine twigs and the ends of some branches but I've never lost entire branches. One trick is to let it grow outside of your intended canopy size in the fall to compensate for some die back over winter. I agree with Brian and Zach about a trunk chop though - I would do that in spring. I did a trunk chop and drastic root prune on a dwarf crape in late May a few years ago (for the mame contest) and it responded very well.
Thank you, very good information that I will definitely take to heart. This thing really got away from me. It went from starting to bud out to crazy wild in a couple of weeks. I had given up hope that it would even wake up. I have placed it in my flower bed as @Brian Van Fleet suggested, to let the roots maybe grow through the pot to thicken the trunk up.
 

Carol 83

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So, I just let it grow last year. We've had a a week here and there of warm weather followed by a week of cold rainy, not unusual. But today I noticed it is starting to wake up, way early for here. My plan is to move it to a large training pot. I bought it because it was advertised as being red, and the flowers unfortunately are white. I don't care now about letting it flower. So I have read that bud-break is a good time to repot, any opinions? Should I prune the crazy long branches, go ahead and trunk chop, or just let it grow to thicken the trunk?
 

Joe_B

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My little Crape has still not shown any signs of buds… it does this every year… it looks dead… why do they do this to me!!
 

Carol 83

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My little Crape has still not shown any signs of buds… it does this every year… it looks dead… why do they do this to me!!
One of mine played dead until June last year, then it just took off.
 

Carol 83

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Looks like we're expecting freezing/below freezing low temps for the next few days. The crapes will heading back into the garage.
 
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