i need a little more advice about my crape myrtle.

i tried to clean it up a little bit. im just not satisfied with the way it looks. i know i need to get some more limbs out, but i dont know which ones and i dont know how many. do i cut the outside ones or the inside ones? im confused. i was thinking the bottom needs a border or some monkey grass around it or something. any advice would help. and the only reason i decided to go ahead and "crape murder" it is because we had a really, really bad ice storm this winter and it looked horrible. im hoping it will be okay if i dont do it ever again. i can tell by the big stumps on the mid section that the people who owned this house previous to me did it regularly. thank you for your time. =)

Wrote quite a bunch, then lost it, so here is a website for you.
http://www.crapemyrtlefarms.com/crape_myrtles.htm

Jessnjus, here I am climing up on my soapbox again. LOL. If you are agonizing over this plant to this degree I have another suggestion. Do you know what cultivar it is? No? Then you know nothing of its desiese resistance. Is there some unusual characteristic about it that you can't live without? No? Think about replacing it with a known cultivar that is going to mature to a known highth with known resistance, and a color of YOUR choice.

I am very partial to the 'Whit' cultivars. There are 8 total and all have been bred by Dr. Carl Whitcom in OK. They range from a pure red that is under 3' to some 20' high types. take a look at www.lacebarkinc.com to see pictures. All have high mildew resistance and are outstanding crapemyrtle cultivars. I really love the one called Dynamite. It is also true red and 20' tall or better. Give it some thought and I hope this helps.

PS The pictures are worth the visit to his site. Gene


This message was edited May 29, 2008 7:25 PM

I'm sort of with Gene--it looks like the tree wasn't maintained properly before you even got it, all those trunks are probably suckers that came up from the base and should have been pruned out when they were small and green but they were left instead, and even if you try to cut out some of the trunks I'm not sure how the tree will look. Plus it looks like it's planted too close to the house, so you're always going to have to whack it back to keep it from being all over the house so it'll never get a chance to develop a nice natural form. So I'd be tempted to take it out and pick out one that's a more appropriate size for that spot (or get a big one but plant it farther out from the house)

If I may offer some encouragement....
It looks as if it is planted in the back or side of your house. Rather than totally dig it out, I would try a few things before waving the white flag of surrender.

I had one crape myrtle that looked a lot like yours. I found that removing the interior limbs opened it up and helped prevent powdery mildew. When you prune, do not leave a "stub", but cut it right flush, otherwise it will keep producing suckers. Even then you will have to scuff off the new growth to prevent another limb from starting....

I would also remove limbs that "cross over" other limbs. Crape myrtle blooms are so beautiful, I would try to work on it before giving up on it. I would not worry about planting any border at this point. Just keep the grass pulled away from it and add a little mulch. It won't need anything else. AND watch out for the japanese beetles!

thank you JulieQ. i am not going to give up on her just yet. i LOVE my crape myrtle. i am going to follow your advice and remove the interior limbs and cut the "stubs" more flush with the limbs. i will post a pic when i am done and you can tell me what you think. =)

i know everyone is just trying to help and it is nice of everyone to take the time to read my thread and reply to it, but man, yall can be quite brutal.

I don't think anyone was being brutal, some people don't want to spend a ton of time and effort trying to fix a tree like this that's not in the best location and is going to require a lot of effort to get back in shape and it's not a sure thing that you're going to get it looking a way that makes you happy. A lot of times people don't even think about the option of removing a plant, and in a case of something that's relatively fast growing like a crape myrtle it's a very viable option so it's worth pointing out in case you hadn't thought about it. It's not like taking down a 100 yr old oak tree or something like that. It's obviously your tree and your choice and there's no reason not to try and work with it if you want to keep it, we were just presenting some alternate options to consider which you might not have thought of.

Howdy jess:
I know replacing some plants can be a budget buster especially we okies, as our economy isn't the best. The extension office at 10th and portland will have a very nice handout on the proper care of your tree. Their office is across the driveway from osu admin building. You might also check out the hort department down the street. It will have a huge greenhouse attached to it. They offer some good classes on basic gardening for the home owner. of course I am bias as I graduated from their quite some time ago.
I too can be brutal when it comes to plants i will go through 4 or 5 renditions on some beds before I get the look I want. I think its the fact that we grow so much that we think nothing of composting a plant because we are tired of fighting it. Large crapes can be dug up and moved but its a big job and count on a few friends to help. i have moved larger ones than the one you have. Do you have a spot it might fit in better than where it resides at the moment? D mail me if you need advise on the move.
I am sure I will get slammed for advising moving it but I believer every plant is worth some effort, but only you can say how much effort and when enough is enough. Did you loose power for the week like we did in ice storm? I lost all my tropical hibiscus. boooo hooo whaaaaa. best of luck
Dave Tulsa

i would love to move it further from the house. but trying to get my husband to do ANYTHING in the yard is quite a chore in itself. he is highly allergic to poison ivy and our neighors back yard is FULL of it, so i dont blame him. so for now i will have to make do with where it is. i am willing to do the work to get it into good shape, i just dont know WHAT to do. i have done alot of research on the care of crape myrtles, but that is what led me to chop off the whole top to begin with. so i am just left in further confusion. i went out there yesterday fully intending on cutting out all but about 8 limbs, but when i got out there, i just didnt know where to begin. i dont want to screw it up more. i reread all of the other replies and they didnt seem to be as brutal as the first time i read them, it just hurt to think of giving up on it. that was the last thing on my mind and when i read it, it just stung a little bit. proably because of the truth in it. plus, it made me feel like an idiot.

Do you know what cultivar it is? No? Then you know nothing of its desiese resistance. Is there some unusual characteristic about it that you can't live without? No?

i mean, a little brutal, right?

Jess,

The beauty of your situation is that all you can do now is learn what that tree will take. If you had the time, what you would want to do before moving it, is create a root ball but that takes about four years. You basically cut one side of the roots by driving a straight spade into the ground each year and lift it out on the fourth, but it doesn't sound like you have that kind of time. You'd have to think about whether or not that would be worth it. Although, it wouldn't be so much work for your husband until the fourth year :) . CMs can be very tough , but they don't particularly like being transplanted so don't expect a bloom that first year. You can dig it out now and see what happens, albeit being prepared to lose it. Don't expect much the first year.

JulieQ's advice about removing the interior limbs and anything that crosses (and of course, anything that's dead) each other is good advice if you don't want to move it. Don't be intimidated. Once you start, you'll feel better and it will look better. Think of it as creating a cross breeze or a tree version of stone henge. And be brave! I can assure you a pro pruner's results would leave you shocked until the next year when the tree would look glorious. I don't know anything about your climate so you should find out when the best time to do it is. Most likely not in the heat of summer. In the east, we'd do that in Nov or March when it was dormant.

Forget about the brutal thing. It's hard to get the tone right on the boards sometimes and it's also easy to misinterpret. Plus you are getting good free advice from experienced gardeners. Think what you'd be doing 20 years ago. Oh the horror of call-in radio shows!

so should i start wacking the interior limbs or wait till next spring. and im toughing up. i am VERY grateful for the advice. i guess i shouldnt be so sensitive and so defensive. sorry guys.

oh yeah, should i get something to put on the open areas when i start wacking or will it just heal on its own?

Well this is just me, but if I weren't going to move it, I would take some out closest to the house. Then I would look for the most naturally-shaped limbs that have not been heavily pruned already. I would tie a ribbon around those and stand in front of it every now and again for a couple of days trying to picture what it would look like without the other limbs. Then I would start sawing. No whacking. You want a good clean cut. Google Y-cut pruning and you should see how to cut without doing damage to the bark. No need to seal. Trees heal on their own if the bark isn't stripped away.

I don't know about your climate there so best to ask about timing on pruning forum if there is one or maybe someone knows.

Then I would have a drink and wait for next year.

Jess, I have 2 crepe myrtles and I love them. They are so pretty when they are blooming. I would start with some of the skinner trunks. There is one on the right bottom of the pic. It starts on the outside and curves to the inside. I would start with ones like that. Barely left of center there is a skinny one. I would cut that one. Just start with a few like that and walk around the tree and I think you will start to see what you don't like. Best of luck. Please post a pic when you are done.

Smokey

You can really prune now, I think. You may not even have any buds yet anyway. Here in Alabama you can prune them into the dog days of the summer and they will continue to bloom. Stop pruning in time to harden off the branches for winter.

I love to renovate and restore -- using what I have. I have more time than money! lol Actually I don't have much time either...lol -- I'm just cheap.

JulieQ: Ditto. Nothing more satisfying that turning a sad plant into a beauty. Anybody can shop.

Jess:
I guess one thing no one has asked that I am wondering is what exposure are you dealing with Is the tree on the north side of the house south side ? How much direct sun does it get during the day? These two things are important I am guessing due to the fact it is growing by leaps and bounds is that it get at least half a days full sun.
Everyone is giving great advise. I have moved crepe myrtles in june here in oklahoma. without the 3 year dig and prune and next year a little more. Crepe myrtles are tough plants. The key to moving them as with any plant you either move or plant is keeping them adequately watered. At a minimum 2x daily for the first few weeks then back off to once a day for a couple of weekes then everyother day for a few weeks. The issue you have that is unique is the brutal summers we go through If we get a tough summer of 100+ for 3 months it can be an issue with the whole landscape not just new or transplanted.
I would proceed as they have instructed you as tie the ribbon and wait a few days. Sometimes It may take me a week ore more until I get the picture I am after in my head. Pruning is as much an art form as it is personal. The optimum time to prune crape myrtles in oklahoma is january or february. I would not trim on it much past the 1st part of july as the new growth coming on will be dealing with excessive heat. It is not going to hurt anything to trim a little each year until you get it where you want it to be. Landscapes to me are contantly changing and never a finished thing. But thats just me. And as you probably have guessed I am not afraid to rip it all out and start over. or move things around untill I think the plant seems happy.
You may try to take some of the softer (greener) parts from what you remove and root it in water. Just make sure it gets lots of indirect light. I know everyone has got to be thinking I am nuts. maybe I am abit but I also like to have a backup and I just like to try to expand my plant inventory if you will. By starting a new plant you will have an original that you can plant later if you decide to move it and it does fail to survive.
Another thing no one has discussed is the option of just cutting everything down to the ground next spring and starting over. they will come back from the roots. The reason we in oklahoma do not have the standard "tree - single stem" planted a lot more is every so oftem mother nature comes along and decides to just whip our buts into submission. and most crape myrtles will freeze to the ground when that happens.
I will get off my soap box now, and just say have fun with it. No matter what you do to it as long as it pleases you then it is the right thing to do. You are the one that has to look at it day after day.
I am moving later this summer across town so it might be a bit before I can get anything really going. please dmail me from time to time and I will send you some fresh starts of crepe myrtle so you can have the joy of planting a very small start and trimming just the way you want it.
Dave
Tulsa, OK
Zone 6b

my crape myrtle is on the southeast corner of the house. so it gets lots and lots of sun. im posting another pic of my crape myrtle in the back of the house. its weird how its growing. i guess because of the shade from the tree?

oops, i forgot to rotate the pic again. sorry. i think im gonna take pughbear7's advice and just chop it to the ground next spring if i dont have any luck this year. thanks a million guys.

I used to live in Houston, Texas and had beautiful crape myrtles in the yard. I also didn't know what cultivar they were, as they were already planted in the yard. We always waited until AFTER they had finished blooming in the summer to prune, as they bloom on new growth. If you prune them too severely right now, you might not get many flowers this year. Also, it's generally true with ANY tree or shrub that you should remove branches that are growing in toward the center, rather than outward. As for mildew, just spray them with a fertilizer that contains a fungicide; I just used the same stuff I sprayed on my climbing roses, and they were both beautiful! They do like sun, and a large tree nearby may be shading it too much, especially if the tree is south of the crape myrtle.

Jess,

I'm wondering what is happening with your crepe myrtle. It is so confusing when you buy a property that has been landscape. I think that it is rare for the owner to give you all the information that you need about each and every plant.

Well everyone has given you their two cents, so I am going to chime in as well. My advise would be to try to save the tree first since you like it. I love the idea of tying ribbons around the limbs that you think should be pruned, and living with it for a few days (or even hours if you are impatient like me.) Start slowly, you can always take away more, but you can never put back.

You may want to remove some of the outside limbs if it is really too close to the house for your comfort, otherwise, just let some air flow through the inside. Since you will be removing the entire limb, you aren't going to affect the blooms of the ones that you are keeping. Your tree will still bloom this year, but not on the the twenty limbs that you have now, maybe it will be twelve limbs or even eight. In the end, if you have done the best that you can, and if you don't like the way that it looks after blooming, consider cutting all the limbs early next spring or removing it.

I certainly understand your feeling that some of the advice you received is abrupt - I think that I have been a victim of that in the past as well. However, it is very hard to get a real feel for person without seeing them face to face.

Do keep in mind that no one is really judging you. We are all merely trying to tell you in our own ways, what each one of us would do in the same situation. Also keep in mind that what is right for one person, isn't right for another, and sometimes just isn't right at all!

I wish you lots of luck in your garden.

Well put pennefeather. After all you are the one that has to live with your actions.
Dave

here is an up to date pic of my cm.

That looks much better. And if it's too large, you can cut it in half again and it will still be a fine tree. Glad that it worked out.

Much better. I would probably take off a few more on the left - those that look like they are touching the house and roof.

yeah, i was thinking the same thing about taking some more off on the left. it looks kinda funny with that short one right there. it will probably even it up a bit. thank you.

Congratulations. The first cut is always the hardest. This spring, I spent a week trimming my azaleas. Since buying my house three years ago, I have been convinced that the bushes in front are at least 2 feet too high. I am not brave enough to cut off that much at once. Instead, I trimmed them a moderate amount for two years, and then still complained that they are too high.

This year, I trimmed a moderate amount on the first day. Then I went out the next day, and trimmed again, and the third, and the fourth. I realized that I felt comfortable taking off fairly small amounts at a time, but I doubt that I could have done all of this at one time. I actually would look forward to coming home from work to trim the azaleas - again!

You may find that there are one or two more branches that you want to remove over time. Regardless, you bit the bullet, and I hope that you are happy with the results.