how to trim a tall crepe myrtle tree
If your crepe myrtle does seem to be getting too densely branched. This will give the crepe myrtle a more tree-like appearance and put the growth upwards rather than outwards.
Remove any branches that are growing in clusters around the center of the tree.

. Rather than go into detail here Ill provide a link to an article that provides tips for standard pruning and for corrective pruning which is necessary when a crape myrtle has been. Entire branch all the way to the base rather than simply shortening it. Youll want to use a good pair of long-handled loppers plus your trusty pruners for performing this task.
In this video I demonstrate how I trim a crepe myrtle tree that has overgrown. If you have to remove an entire branch cut it back to the branch collar. A wedge of wood can be removed from one side of the tree by making a diagonal cut at a 45 degree angle above or below the initial cut.
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More information about the Crape-myrtle Lagerstroemia indica. If yours are way out of control then a chainsaw might be necessary in the most extreme cases. Prune the small lower branches off the main trunks of the crepe myrtle.
For pricing and availability. Using a pair of sharp bypass or lopper pruners make a cut about 6 to 12 inches or so above the intersection - never below the. High Quality Affordable Local Tree Cutting Services.
The good news is most Crape Myrtles can be pruned with hand held shears or long handles loppers. This is called limbing-up and helps the tree retain an attractive shape. The right way to trim a crepe myrtle tree.
Prune any branches coming out of side of the trunk up to about halfway up the trunk. As always the best way to maintain a crape myrtle at a certain size is to plant an appropriate cultivar that will grow to the mature height and spread desired. So with that being said it pays to prune your Crape Myrtles in the winter months as soon as November at as late at March when they are dormant.
I normally try to trim Crepe Myrtles every two years but these tress went sev. Remove a portion of a branch with a heading cut back to an outward facing bud or outward facing side branch. Excessively upward and outward the crapemyrtle will be reduced in size.
Cut off any suckers whether from the base or any that grow out of any branch or stem. However most modern cultivars of crepe myrtle are disease resistant and so this is not an issue and the thinning out of twigs is no longer recommended as essential. Figure B below indicates where to make cuts when pruning your crape myrtle tree.
A quarter to a third of the way through the tree trunk is expected to be reached by this cut. By removing limbs that go. Ad Tree Cutting Services From Trusted Local Professionals.
Remove deadwood before the spring starts and cut the top of the tree 2 feet below the height you want the blooms to be that year. If your objective is to turn the tall crepe myrtle into a short crepe myrtle that looks more like a bush cut back each branch to within 6 inches of where it begins to promote bushy growth. Any heavy pruning on crape myrtle should be done in late winter while the tree is in dormancy.
Talking with Cameron Scott from Bartlett Tree Experts in Tarrant County Texas about how to properly TRIM and why you should not TOP your crape myrtles aka. Remove crossing and inward growing branches. This will give the plant a more uniform appearance.
Now that you have a vision in your mind and are working with the proper tools. Certainly in older varieties of crepe myrtle the tree should have its branches thinned out to ensure good airflow to prevent disease. Formal style pruning is also thought to encourage additional blooming since it forces the tree to grow more new wood which is where blossoms are formed.
Will resume growing in ways you dont want. These tools work best. That means taking out an.
Only shorten branches they will vigorously re-sprout in spring and the tree. With a formal style when you prune crepe myrtle trees you are pruning for outward shape rather than inner openness. Hand shears help with cutting smaller pieces of the tree loppers help by removing slightly larger limbs and the hand saw is for the biggest pieces of the crepe myrtle you intend to remove.
The first cut should be made low in the trunk and parallel to the ground by using a chainsaw. A prune saw or pole pruner to cut trunks and larger branches and. Remove extraneous or interior branches that might cross between trunks or rub against each other cut low branches to encourage vertical growth and prune unwanted new trunks to the ground.
How do you trim a tall crepe myrtle tree. Crape Myrtles are great for landscaping ground cover hanging baskets bonsai shrubs privacy hedges and. Pruning serves to improve crape myrtle structure increase clearance under the canopy and remove diseased dead or overly vigorous branches.
In a formal style the decision on how to prune a crepe myrtle tree is. Do not prune the top branches shorter crepe murder only remove dead growth in the upper branches. Hand pruners or loppers for smaller branches.
01042021 To prune crepe myrtle Rogers says to start out with a pair of sharp pruning shears that youve wiped down. The rule of thumb is to trace down from the top of a stem from the seedpods if the tree bloomed to where that stem meets a branch. Put the chainsaw away and only use hand shears loppers and a hand saw.
This establishes the crepe myrtle as the focal point. Restore overgrown crepe myrtles gradually by pruning over a three-year period so the tree continues to bloom. Perform pruning for size control and shaping in.
Repeating this process can bring a largely overgrown crepe. This method called a thinning cut will preserve the natural shape of the tree while reducing its overall size. For younger trees that you are starting to shape prune the small limbs from the ground up leaving only the 3-5 strongest limbs.
Best Tree Services Deal For 2021. To keep a crape myrtle at a manageable height prune moderately by removing all twiggy growth back to lower growing side branches. How and when to.
Once you have prepared your work area get a sense of which parts of your crepe myrtle need trimming. To determine if your crape myrtle needs to be pruned examine the direction in which the trunks and branches grow. Hand shears help with cutting smaller pieces of the tree loppers help by removing slightly larger limbs and the hand saw is for the biggest pieces of the crepe myrtle you intend to remove.
So if youve already cut the crape myrtle back youll need to wait until late next winter to do any more pruning. Your best option is to do several thinning cuts. If heavy-pruning your too-tall crape is an annual ritual transplant it if possible and replace it.
In a well pruned crape myrtle the trunks grow upward and outward with branches fanning out rather than growing inward into the center of the tree. Goggles gloves and other protective clothing. You want a hands and fingers kind of appearance with lots of stubs and stumps of smaller branches left on the plant.
Look at how nice the natural vase-shape is on unpruned crapemyrtles. This may call for removing branches 2 inches or less in diameter.
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