encourage new branches on crepe myrtle?

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DonnyK Carlsbad, CA Aug 17, 2016

I have a crepe myrtle that started and branched out below a tea tree. One year the trunk went up through the tea tree and branched out above it. The tea tree has since died and now the crepe myrtle has a bare trunk where the tea tree was, between the lower and upper branches, about 5 feet. The trunk is only about 1 inch diameter. Is there anything I can do to encourage branching out on the bare trunk?

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Pistil Lake Stevens, WA(Zone 8a) Aug 18, 2016

I have never grown a crape myrtle, but whenever I read about it it sounds as if they are very vigorous and will recover from practically any kind of pruning. If you don't want to grow it as a single trunk tree (5 feet of clear trunk actually sounds about right for that), just whack off the branchless trunk, and it will come back from below. Here are some links with instructions:

http://www.crapemyrtle.com/pruning.html

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/trees/hgic1009.html

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