Prune/Trim Crape Myrtles
Pruning Crape Myrtles
Over-pruning : We've all seen over-pruning - people chop back crape myrtles below the knuckles each and every
year. When a crape myrtle is pruned back too far it has two effects:
1. Reduces the number of blooms that will be produced during summer.
2. New branches will grow far too long and therefore not be able to support the weight of heavy blooms - particularly
when wet. These long branches weep over and often break off during heavy rains.
When a Crape Myrtle is pruned properly:
• It will produce twice the number of blooms as it did during the previous year.
• New branches will be strong enough to support blooms.
The Time to Prune Crape Myrtles:
Wrong-season pruning would mean the Crape isn’t dormant. Don't let "peer pressure" by neighbors and commercial
gardening crews get to you. Prune anytime during the late winter or early spring before the growth begins without a loss
of flower buds. Avoid pruning in early fall before the first frost, because pruning forces new growth and keeps the plant
from going dormant. Severe freezes can kill the Crape if it isn’t fully dormant. New growth will also tend to draw the cold
right into the plant, causing needless damage to a tree that should be resting in dormancy.
How much to trim:
The diagram below shows how to prune a Crape Myrtle. The rule of thumb is to trace down the outer stems, from the
dried seed pods to where the stem meets a branch, and make a cut about 4-6" up from the intersection. Then prune
away all horizontal twiggy growth along all main branches. If suckers have grown from the base of the trunk prune these
away too. Make all cuts as close to branches as possible. By using this method of pruning you will be promoting twice as
many branches every season which means twice as many blooms!
Over-pruning : We've all seen over-pruning - people chop back crape myrtles below the knuckles each and every
year. When a crape myrtle is pruned back too far it has two effects:
1. Reduces the number of blooms that will be produced during summer.
2. New branches will grow far too long and therefore not be able to support the weight of heavy blooms - particularly
when wet. These long branches weep over and often break off during heavy rains.
When a Crape Myrtle is pruned properly:
• It will produce twice the number of blooms as it did during the previous year.
• New branches will be strong enough to support blooms.
The Time to Prune Crape Myrtles:
Wrong-season pruning would mean the Crape isn’t dormant. Don't let "peer pressure" by neighbors and commercial
gardening crews get to you. Prune anytime during the late winter or early spring before the growth begins without a loss
of flower buds. Avoid pruning in early fall before the first frost, because pruning forces new growth and keeps the plant
from going dormant. Severe freezes can kill the Crape if it isn’t fully dormant. New growth will also tend to draw the cold
right into the plant, causing needless damage to a tree that should be resting in dormancy.
How much to trim:
The diagram below shows how to prune a Crape Myrtle. The rule of thumb is to trace down the outer stems, from the
dried seed pods to where the stem meets a branch, and make a cut about 4-6" up from the intersection. Then prune
away all horizontal twiggy growth along all main branches. If suckers have grown from the base of the trunk prune these
away too. Make all cuts as close to branches as possible. By using this method of pruning you will be promoting twice as
many branches every season which means twice as many blooms!
This is how a Crape Myrtle should NOT look after pruning!
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