The First Time to Prune Crape Myrtles

Time Frame

• The first pruning maintenance done on a crape myrtle tree needs to take place in late winter or early spring before the leaves emerge. Don't prune in spring or summer since you remove growth that will produce flowers later in summer. Also avoid conducting major pruning on crape myrtles in late summer or fall. Any regrowth that ensues doesn't mature in time before frosts and freezes happen, and dieback occurs.

Pruning Technique

• Look at the overall silhouette and structure of the crape myrtle. Any initial pruning done accentuates the natural form of the tree, but eliminates problematic branches. Use hand pruners for branches less than 3/4 inch in diameter. Remove dead or broken branches, making the pruning cut 1/4 inch above a lower branch junction or flush with the trunk. Then remove any branches that rub one another, causing a wear wound, and any branches that grow inward across the center of the canopy. Clip off suckering shoots emerging from the trunk base. Next, remove all short, spurlike twigs from main branches and the trunk.

Insight

• Rarely should any branches greater in thickness than a pencil need removal. When completed, the crape myrtle tree should look like an even, upright, vase-shaped silhouette. This open structure allows more sunlight and air to penetrate through the canopy once leaves develop, leading to healthier leaves, more flowers and a reduction in aphids and powdery mildew.

Avoiding Crape Murder

• Inexperienced landscape contractors conduct harsh, unhealthy and unwarranted pruning of crape myrtle trees across the South. Known as "hat-racking" or "crape murder" by horticulturists and arborists, harsh pruning destroys the natural beauty of the tree. It also leads to weak-stemmed regrowth and a reduction of flower clusters. While the flower clusters may be larger, the stems bow and snap in wind and rain downpours. The flowering season shortens, too, according to Virginia Cooperative Extension. Never conduct severe pruning at arbitrary heights on crape myrtle trees.