Pruning damaged Crape Myrtles

Virginia took a hard hit this past winter. A few of my crape myrtles have sprouted from the ground (suckers) and some as much as 4-5 feet up the tree we had flowers. However some limbs that are 2 inches or more in diameter are dead.

How do I trim the tree so I save the limbs that bloomed this year and cut back the dead, non blooming parts without harming the tree?

Some are so bad they will be cut to the ground. We waited and watched but now we know that some were so bad they must be cut to the ground. There are so many suckers branching out from the ground and they make a lovely shrub however I want to have trees. I love the bark and the form of the trees. But after 7 years with these beauties and this being my first severe winter damage I just don't know where to start.

Open to suggestions. I will take some photos.
Kathy

Crape Myrtle is very forgiving about how you prune it.

1) Remove dead limbs to a point where there is healthy tissue to heal the cut. It will often sprout new branches near this point.
2) Remove broken branches that may still have a thread of life, some green leaves, but are broken.
3) Select from among the new growth the branches that show the most promise of growing into the right shape.
a) If your goal is a multi-trunk then select perhaps 3, maybe 5 well placed branches. Remove the others. They will shade each other so the new bark does not burn in the sun.
b) If your goal is a single trunk tree select the one best branch to become the new trunk, and cut the others to perhaps half their size this year, remove them next year. They will shade the single trunk and help prevent sunburn. Leaving the leaves and small twigs on the main trunk will also make it thicker, faster, so I would leave these, too. Perhaps each year clean this small stuff off the lower 18" or so, and head back the others so they are still helping, but not growing out of hand.

It is hard to kill a crepe myrtle - even digging one out will often lead to root suckers replacing the mother plant in a year or two. I agree with Diana - prune out the dead limbs as low as you can with loppers or a pruning saw. Remove badly formed and weak stems. Despite all the pruning you will still have many suckers coming up for many years - just keep pruning what you don't want. We had two winters back to back (early 80's) where it killed practically every crepe myrtle (including some very old ones around Atlanta) to the ground. In a few years (five?) you'd never know there was ever any kind of winter kill.

Great advice from both - thank you! So pruning in Jan for my zone 6/7 would be best??
Kathy

Any time is okay to prune a C.M. Digging them up is another matter (you might kill the plant in the heat of summer, but never fear the roots left behind will produce a new plant).

I would remove the dead and broken stuff now.
Make a few selections about what to keep, and remove the others that conflict with those (crossing, growing too close).
If it is growing, maybe not where you want, but not interfering with the ones you want to develop into the new plant, I would leave these for now.

Then, late winter is a good time to tackle it again.

The whole project is not done in one pruning, but over a couple of years. You do not want to remove too much, even if they are not quite where you want, they are providing energy for more growth. Just keep the ones you like the best clear of branches that might cause problems.

Diana is correct - these will need annual pruning - especially the suckers and side branches off the main trunk(s). This just makes it looks so much tidier. I like to limb them up some but some folks like to leave them natural which looks like a green bush (to me). Once the trunks reach a certain size you may want to prune out a trunk or two to give it more shape but that is a personal choice. Some look good with 1 main trunk, some with 2, 3, and 4 trunks. Some like many trunks.

You can also top out the wayward branches or the ones that are too spindly to hold the weight of the blooms. Here is one of mine earlier this summer with all the weight on the entire limb leaning over the AC unit. I didn't have the heart to cut it out despite the awkwardness of it.

Thanks for the responses. I know several of mine will be cut to the ground and hope for fresh starts in Spring. I prefer 3 or 4 limbs because the bark is stunning.

Kathy

Just a note, it is easy to cut the wrong branch when you have crossed limbs and you are working overhead. . After looking at the overall shape of the tree and deciding what needs to go, dead branches, crossed or damaged limbs or ones you want to remove for aesthetics, mark the limb with chalk where you want to cut.

When you mark it, I use kid's sidewalk chalk, you can follow that mark up and see what sort of change it will make in the canopy. That way you don't wind up with trees with gaps and odd growth. This link has some good info on what too and where to use it. Also helps with giving the cut its' best chance to heal.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/pruning-what-to-cut-and-how-to-cut-it#.VBybIRYXOAo

http://www.aces.edu/ucf/crapemyrtles.php

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-prune-crepe-myrtle-trees#.VBygIBYXOAo

Great! This is very helpful
Kathy

You are most welcome. Glad it is of use to you.

Jean