In Arkansas, spring is right next door and I thought I’d better address the issue of pruning my crepe myrtle tree. I’ll be honest. This is not something I’ve managed to do on a yearly basis. I didn’t really know how. My failure to trim it every year brought awful bouts of guilt and I thought I was being horribly, horticulturally remiss.
Fortunately, I heard about a seminar that was being held by the Cleburne County Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas’ Division of Agriculture, pertaining to proper methods of pruning the crepe myrtle. Unfortunately, I had jumped the gun a bit and pruned my tree several days prior. My chosen method was to take a chain saw and lop it down to about four feet off the ground.
The extension service agent, Kenny Simon, began by telling the group that what I did is, sadly, a widespread pruning practice to many crepe myrtles and totally incorrect.
He showed how the tree should be relieved of all excess limbs and trunks in the middle. “It should have an odd number of trunks….three….five….etc., and pruned so all branches grow out. This enables air to circulate between the branches and does a lot to eliminate a powdery mildew disease that is common to the crepe myrtle,” Simon said. Many of the old fashioned varieties are very susceptible to this leaf disease and control of it can prove difficult.
Fortunately, there are several varieties that are resistant to the powdery mildew disease. Some of these are the Natchez, Tonto, Yuma and Zuni. These hybrids range in heights from eight feet to 25 feet and come in many different colors.
He also said that excessive pruning does not lead to heavy flowering but could have the opposite effect. It is not necessary to prune the tree every year. Proper pruning is selectively removing branches back to the main limb.
According to Simon, the cut should be clean. He does not advise using a chain saw because you chance nicking other close branches that you don’t want harmed. This could open the tree up to needless disease.
He said to cut the small, spindly branches flush with the main limb and larger limbs should be cut at the knuckle.
“There is no need to coat the cut with paint or any other substance,” Simon stated. “If the cut is clean, it should heal just fine.”
The tree can be pruned until late spring without restricting the abundance of summer flowering. At best, crepe myrtles have the potential for a flowering period of as much as 120 days. This alone, adds to its growing popularity.
Simon said that planting the right variety of crepe myrtle for the chosen space is far better than radical pruning of the tree. He said there are a wide variety of cultivars that offer an array of ornamental characteristics.
According to information provided by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, breeding programs in USA and Europe have generated, in the last three decades, a wide range of plant sizes (from 2′ dwarfs to 30′ tall trees), growth habits (broad, upright, weeping, etc.), cold hardiness (Zones 6-10), and a wide range of bark characteristics and flower color.
Luckily for me and my tree, crepe myrtles are very forgiving and can take a lot of abuse through inept, although well-meaning hands, like mine. It will survive and more than likely, have beautiful blooms again this summer. I now know that I don’t have to prune it every year and when I decide I need to, I will have a better knowledge on how to do it. However, if I suffer a major memory loss, I was told that, in many areas, county cooperative extension service agents are happy to come to your home and show you the proper way to take care of your trees, shrubs and plants. Now how cool is that?
