Crape Myrtle in the wait

[HoneyHornet]

Got this dwarf crape myrtle in dead of summer so i didnt do what I wanted to do with it -(and it was also super green and healthy and flowers popping so it made for nice full shrub and even gave me time to consider just keeping it full size but in container)
-so i planted in large pot in meantime..when in doubt just keep it alive ahah..
-well now itz yellowing a little but also putting off a lot of new growth so I'm confused..its like happysad..but thats not my main focus of this post lol

Look at the cool interests on this trunk!(the whole reason i brought it home)with some daring chops this thing could be really neat..just dont know if I should do redux in stages or if this winter ill be good to knock it way down to bare bones---or do they benefit from an early pre spring cutback

A simple search can "answer" when is best to prune crape myrtle back but what's the real suggestions in relation to bonsais based on experience.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I don't grow crepe myrtles, they are not quite hardy in my winters, and I already have too many trees that need winter protection in my climate. But its Thurs, and you posted Mon, and nobody with more hands on experience has replied. I've been around, so I can "parrot" the boiler plate info for crepes as bonsai.

Crepe myrtle respond well to drastic pruning, A common strategy with nursery stock is to repot in spring, just before or as the tree is waking up from dormancy. At that time you can do your "drastic pruning" (often call trunk chop, though I cringe at the term) plus root pruning, all in the same day. Top chop and root chop all at once. Normally if the crepe myrtle is healthy going into this process, it should respond very well with buds on bare wood all over the tree. You do not need to keep twigs and branches, you can cut back to a bare stump, and you will get good back budding.

This process can also be done later in the year. You can let the tree sprout as normal in the nursery container, allow the tree to grow, 8 to 10 weeks, then do the repot, prune and style, all in one day. Or you can repot in early spring. Allow the tree to grow and establish new roots, then sometime around or after the summer solstice do the pruning and styling. Crepe Myrtle are forgiving as to timing of work, but finish the work before the middle of summer, you want it to grow, and have plenty of time to re-establish before the winter sets in.

Others with more hands on experience may chime in, follow their lead if it contradicts my offerings.

Crepe Myrtle bloom on the current year's growth. The allow it to grow out after the middle of summer will allow time for blooms to appear. My summers are short, only 100 to 120 day growing season, shorter than yours, so in my climate I have to stop pruning right around the middle or end of July in order to get flowers in late August and September. Your climate has a longer growing season, so you can keep pruning later into the summer and still get flowers before autumn.

 

[HoneyHornet]

I don't grow crepe myrtles, they are not quite hardy in my winters, and I already have too many trees that need winter protection in my climate. But its Thurs, and you posted Mon, and nobody with more hands on experience has replied. I've been around, so I can "parrot" the boiler plate info for crepes as bonsai.

Crepe myrtle respond well to drastic pruning, A common strategy with nursery stock is to repot in spring, just before or as the tree is waking up from dormancy. At that time you can do your "drastic pruning" (often call trunk chop, though I cringe at the term) plus root pruning, all in the same day. Top chop and root chop all at once. Normally if the crepe myrtle is healthy going into this process, it should respond very well with buds on bare wood all over the tree. You do not need to keep twigs and branches, you can cut back to a bare stump, and you will get good back budding.

This process can also be done later in the year. You can let the tree sprout as normal in the nursery container, allow the tree to grow, 8 to 10 weeks, then do the repot, prune and style, all in one day. Or you can repot in early spring. Allow the tree to grow and establish new roots, then sometime around or after the summer solstice do the pruning and styling. Crepe Myrtle are forgiving as to timing of work, but finish the work before the middle of summer, you want it to grow, and have plenty of time to re-establish before the winter sets in.

Others with more hands on experience may chime in, follow their lead if it contradicts my offerings.

Crepe Myrtle bloom on the current year's growth. The allow it to grow out after the middle of summer will allow time for blooms to appear. My summers are short, only 100 to 120 day growing season, shorter than yours, so in my climate I have to stop pruning right around the middle or end of July in order to get flowers in late August and September. Your climate has a longer growing season, so you can keep pruning later into the summer and still get flowers before autumn.

Excellent info thank you so much.. Thats good news to hear because all the cool activity on the tree is pretty low so I can cut back to the good looking stuff..im liking the way earlyspnring sounds

 

[HoneyHornet]

Is it too early or right on the money for first hard prune of the year? We apparently have another snowfall coming next week but i think thats it for the cold..we have had some really springlike days out of nowhere recently so i was like OH NO I HAVE TO PRUNE...i know its not 'too late' but wondering if i should wait til our last 26 degree night passes

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Probably not too early, just protect it during those freezing nights. I just worked a similar one last weekend, little warmer here though

Remember, these wake up later than most trees, so don't fret if it doesn't leaf until June...

 

[HoneyHornet]

Probably not too early, just protect it during those freezing nights. I just worked a similar one last weekend, little warmer here though

Remember, these wake up later than most trees, so don't fret if it doesn't leaf until June...

Thank you for your input i actually may wait til after last frost.google search told me its around april 15th for zone 7?how accurate could that be. Hmmm maybe wait til then?i got it as a little bush last year and didnt take much off and its gunna be my first myrtle to get aggressive with i just wanted to do right by the tree..i knoe they are relatively forgiving but why not try and capitalize on all this knowledge floating around the forum!

Its rootball was substantial from nursery and because it was the dead of summer i just left it be and potted it in large container to let it thrive for rest of summer, so ill be also reducing the root ball ,any tips on how resilient they are to root pruning?im pretty decent at not killing trees with my reductions but still like i said,id like to do right by the tree since i was so patient last year lol

 

[Hack Yeah!]

You can take them back to a nub, very resilient. Here's what I did.

 

[HoneyHornet]

You can take them back to a nub, very resilient. Here's what I did.
View attachment 360621View attachment 360622

Wowww that IS serious reduction especially of that rootball since i assume it was pretty substantial ..was that just recent or do u have the grow back recorded?

 

[Hack Yeah!]

I've cut about 6 like this, all recovered well. One I cut back to way less roots than this and it took a significant time to leaf, into June.

 

[JonW]

They are tough trees, aside from temps below z6, and fun bonsai because they can be vigorous depending on the variety, and get very fine, twiggy growth. You can chop them and root the cuttings (or air layer), and they can handle heavy root pruning. They are slow to thicken. The smaller varieties that have flowers more in proportion to a typical bonsai are much slower growing, but a lot of people who grow these as bonsai don't let them flower because they want to prune throughout summer (and consequently end up removing the flower buds).

I had a few full size ones that I sold because I'm focusing on more compact plants, but I miss them. I keep thinking about picking up a chickasaw, but they are very marked up in my region.

 

[HoneyHornet]

Could have cut back harder when I did but I love how it responded either way and I can't wait to reduce into a more beautiful pot next season