Crape ramification

[MrFancyPlants]

What time of year would be best to start the ramification process. I was thinking of going back to the first two leaves on each branch while dead-heading. Or would it make more sense to start in the spring and skip the flowering for a year? It was repotted this spring and has responded vigerously.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Zach Smith]

What time of year would be best to start the ramification process. I was thinking of going back to the first two leaves on each branch while dead-heading. Or would it make more sense to start in the spring and skip the flowering for a year? It was repotted this spring and has responded vigerously.

Thanks,
Dave

Depending on when crapes stop growing in your area, you could cut back to a couple of leaves this season and get a final flush of growth before fall sets in. If there's not enough time, then wait till next spring and cut back hard. This tree definitely needs to be brought back in.

Zach

 

[jk_lewis]

That tree is still very young. I'd simply not allow it to bloom, and pinch new growth back throughout the growing season, leaving only a pair of new leaves each time. You certainly can start that process now, but doing it through the year will allow the new growth that is not pinched away to harden and you will not have as much end-of-twig dieback when winter is over.

When it does come time to allow the blooms, your tree will look better during the bloom if you cut off about half of the flower buds before they pop. Crape myrtle blooms are really too large for bonsai and that keep them a bit more in proportion.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Not as young as it looks having lived in various vessels for the last 7 or so years.
Very good advice. Thank you.

What would be my best plan for chasing the branches way back in? Is it even possible?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

If this were my tree, I would skip the flowers for a couple years. It looks vigorous and healthy. I would chop it back now, or wait until spring. It looks like you have 3 or maybe 5 main branches total. I would chop them all back to just 2 leaves, as Zach suggested previously and re-grow the whole top of the tree. Your branches go too far out from the trunk without branching. The hard chop, that would leave you with maybe 10 leaves all together, will force a lot of back budding. You will get a lot of sprouts.

Zach's suggestions are exactly what I would do if this was my tree.

 

[Zach Smith]

Not as young as it looks having lived in various vessels for the last 7 or so years.
Very good advice. Thank you.

What would be my best plan for chasing the branches way back in? Is it even possible?

Crape myrtles can stand hard pruning to no leaves (just seal the cut ends of 1/8" diameter or greater), and will rebud well on old wood. So you can pretty much do what you need to.

Zach

 

[Poink88]

Crape myrtles can stand hard pruning to no leaves (just seal the cut ends of 1/8" diameter or greater), and will rebud well on old wood. So you can pretty much do what you need to.

Zach

What Zach said.

Check this thread... http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?11368-New-crepe-myrtle

 

[jk_lewis]

Well, here's what a seven-year-old potted crape myrtle should look like. For each of those years, the trunk was shortened slightly and the branches were cut back to give both more mass, and there was a lot more to go. This tree stood 11 inches from the pot rim.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

That was fun. Thank you everyone for the advice and encouragement. I'll try and focus on some ramification for the next chouple years.. And plant a little deeper so it is not such of a bird claw.

Breath taker Jim.

Thanks,
David