Did he "crape-murder" my crape myrtle ?

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

My husband looked online for instructions on how to prune my 1 season old CM and I think he must have found the one youtube video that shows how NOT to prune one. I will attach a photo of it from after it was planed in the fall. He basically removed all the branches smaller than a pencil and took the top off about 8 or 9 feet up. I assume it will sprout bunches of branches just below every cut he made and since you can see the branches he left are non too large I am concerned that the weight of the foliage 9to come) will break the branches. I have read that we should have left it alone completely for a few seasons before doing any pruning but now that we have rung that bell - please tell me what to do going forward...other than keep it watered and hope for the best. Oh and BTW, this photo is BEFORE we moved it further away from the corner. It has a good 5 feet on all sides to spread. It is an Acoma.

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Comments (3)

chas045
11 years ago
Yeah, probably. Plenty of people do it. In your case, it might be a draw because even being a little further out is probably too close for even a smallish sized tree. The theory was that one was supposed to get extra flowering and many people still swear that it works. It certainly loses the majesty of the colorful bark on long limbs, but it may give you more flowering near eye level.
Gigi z 8A, Upstate SC, USA
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Acoma grows to about 10 feet wide so I think my spacing is fine, I researched and chose this tree to fit in this location. If anyone would like to post some helpful advice regarding the question I posted - where do I go from here, please do.
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User
11 years ago
Chas045 wasn't belittling you at all.

He meant "it might be a draw" to prune it like that because crape myrtles bloom on new wood only. It will grow bigger branches for you and bloom better this summer. That is why alot of people and landscapers cut the crape myrtle back like that.

Don't worry about it, it will be fine. You won't even notice it in a couple years, they grow really fast. It will bloom better for you, wait and see.

Smile and be happy.
Gigi z 8A, Upstate SC, USA thanked User