Pruning Crepe Myrtles - when is the best time?

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monalesa Durham, NC(Zone 7a) Jul 07, 2007

Can you prune the suckers off of a Crepe Myrtle tree/bush any time of year or is it best to wait until cold weather?

We are going through a drought so I am especially concerned about stressing our landscape plants even more.

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Jul 07, 2007

In general for pruning you'd be better off waiting until the plant is dormant, but if you're removing suckers vs truly pruning the plant I don't think the timing matters as much, you could probably prune them out now if you want. On the other hand, it wouldn't hurt anything to wait and prune them later either.

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kyjoy Frankfort, KY Jul 07, 2007

I would remove the suckers now as all the tree's energy is going to the suckers. That is, unless you want your tree to turn into a bush, then chop down the tree part.

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NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS(Zone 8a) Jul 07, 2007

I prune mine while they are dormant but I pull suckers as I find them so they don't get too big. It hasn't hurt any of my trees at all. If it is dry when you want to pull some, take some good sharp pruners, dig down around the sucker a little way, then cut it off.

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KTsGarden Ocean County, NJ(Zone 7a) Jul 19, 2007

ok, I LOVE crepe myrtle and have planted a couple. I know they need to be pruned to form into a tree, which is what I want, I love the interesting "oriental" look of the twisted trunks and want them to show when it is big. I keep seeing people here referring to "suckers" so my query...what's a sucker??? just a bottom branch or new shoot???

Please, if you can, let me know the proper route to take with mine. It's just a babe, so I guess I wont need to prune much for a few years, but I want to know from the start how to train it correctly into a beautiful tree!!!

Thank You!!
Warmly,
Karin

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daphnecat Mays Landing, NJ(Zone 7a) Jul 19, 2007

KTsGarden:
Suckers are new sprouts from the roots or base of the trunk. Their growth tends to be weak and spindly. You can cut these whenever they apprear. Actual pruning to shape your myrtle, should be done late winter/early spring. I usually aim for when the terminal buds start to swell, indicating that it's breaking dormancy.

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