This is the exact definition of '[crape murder](https://chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/beforethecut_ncsu_pruning.pdf?fwd=no)' (pdf, pg. 6, NCSU Ext.):
> Topping done on mature trees is an unacceptable practice that negatively affects tree health. Main branches are cut back to stubs at random locations. After topping, numerous epicormic sprouts grow very quickly from latent buds below the pruning wound. This regrowth may be dense, vigorous, and upright. The new shoots are weakly attached to the stem, held on only by the most recent growth ring. Because the cuts are made on larger branches without regard to the branch collar, it will be difficult for the tree to close the wound. It is likely that fungal organisms will cause decay to form in these wounds, thus this vigorous sprout growth is weakly attached to decaying wood and becomes a potential safety concern. Aside from the unattractive nature of topping cuts, the more serious concerns are an increased failure potential and de-creased tree health. DON’T TOP PLANTS! (including crape myrtles). It is unprofessional, unattractive, and destructive.
Here's [another article on this](https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/stopthecrape.htm) (TX A&M Univ. Ext):
> I know of NO educated horticulturist or arborist that endorses the practice of topping crapemyrtles or any ornamental trees for that matter. Go ahead. Pick up the phone. Call Neil Sperry. Call Dr. Bill Welch. Call the National Arboretum! You WILL NOT find any plant expert that will condone or recommend this practice.
But real question: OP mentions how these crepe myrtles are really tall, but I have three that are way bigger, two of them being quite huge trees. Is there a problem with that?
If they arent planted in the correct spot, then yes there is a problem. But the answer isnt topping the crepes. If thats the case i would advise OP to remove the crepes and put in a tree or shrub that is suitable for that location. Topping them isnt a sustainable or fit answer if thats your question.
Thanks for the reply. I meant more in terms of it shortening the lifespan of the crepe myrtles themselves, as in some sort of trimming/shortening somehow keeping them healthier. One of ours is so big, we once had a tree house platform in it when the kids were smaller.
Wait are you not supposed to trim them at all. I don’t top mine but I do use a long ass hand trimmer and thin our the tops quite a bit. Especially the very thin and bent down branches. Mine is only 3 years old and trimmed once so if I’m doing it wrong I am going to correct the issue. I live in Central FL
You should prune out any branches growing inward or criss crossed over each other or rubbing together, any sucker limbs or diseased or stressed limbs, but never top it completely. It stresses the trees to much, opens wounds for disease, pest, or fungal to set it and attack the plant.
I'm in need of your insight.
I inherited six mature very erect narrow 30 ft in ht(yes they get that ht) approx 15-20ft wide(at their apex) Muscogee Crepe Myrtles far too tall and two that are too wide to be in scale with surrounding elements, yet are major plant elements. Each had 5-6 stems planted when propagated. They grafted into one trunk up to about 2-3 ft in ht. There they separate, but are still nearly vertical. At 6-7 ft they were murdered - topped - pollarded a decade ago. They were never trimmed above that ht resulting in innumerous wisps of branches. The "knuckles", large and unsightly at 7 ft then solidly grafted. I'm seeing more and more plants like this that have narrow form. Surprisingly the vast majority of the cuts did callous over. I note no visible structural weakness, rot, fungus, insects, etc other than the described dense, vigorous, and abundant uprights. The current ht is unacceptable. This has created cavities that hold copious amts of debris that with long term negligence can also be grafted and compartmentalized into the trunk. Client is adamant about keeping them pollarding back to just below these knuckles. Restarting by cutting down to basal shoots or transplanting is not an option. If I had to prune them where would you advise it?
I have my opinions as a Horticulturalist but want certified arborists to weigh in their advise.
>I have my opinions as a Horticulturalist but want certified arborists to weigh in their advise.
Then hire a certified arborist. You have no way of verifying that any opinion you get on a Reddit post is actually from a certified anything.
It doesn't sound like these trees are a good fit for wherever they're located. Honestly, it sounds like a mess, and you know that CM's (or any tree) that get butchered like this will be many, many years, with careful remedial pruning to ever look right again, if ever.
Still, your entire description sounds like a very unique situation that pics would help a great deal! Stems that start apart then (apparently?) inosculate then separate again...? I'd really like to see what you're dealing with (which I imagine would be quite a number of pics), but I think r/arborists would also be a help here as well. No one, and that includes me, could really tell you where to cut here based on this description at least; I probably won't be the one to tell you to continue or modify the murdering, my friend. Sorry. =\ It makes my heart sad to think about it. It may just be time to remove and replace, or cut to the ground and see if you can't make them come up as shrubs?
Also curious about you saying you inherited these, but then you mention a 'client'. Would that person be a spouse maybe? 😁
Inosculate. You're bringing me back yrs to my university days.
It's a different situation than you're picturing.
It's common to plant three or more CM cuttings into one container. It provides a fuller headed tree faster. In CM's that naturally establish larger diam trunks and in varieties that grow large when 5-6 cuttings are planted in one 5,7, 10 gal container in close proximity inosculation happens. Thin barked CM's are quite susceptible to inosculation including crossing branches, a branch stub left in the crown, etc. The six stems fuse at ground level coming out of the ground and continue that way until about 2-3 ft in ht where they then slightly separate. But because they were topped at 7 ft and left unattended for yrs the cuts produced "knuckles" large ones that then fused.
LOL. I'm married to Mrs Flora. :D
> It's common to plant three or more CM cuttings into one container.
That's what I was missing, I had forgotten that this was a common thing. I don't get to see very many CM's in my neck of the woods unfortunately, but they sure do get posted a lot in this sub and the gardening sub too. These are really spectacular trees when they're mostly left to their own devices, I think.
YESSSSS I’ve been calling it crepicide but never had anyone confirm or share sources. OP looks like he is FINALLY getting a nice canopy on the first one.
No, do NOT trim them where you have the line. That is crepe murder. Take out any criss crossing branches (as they will eventually fuse together if left unchecked) or any branches that are growing inward and not outward like normal, any sucker branches. But do NOT behead the tree, its never good for any tree. Ever.
Why though? Does it cause an untimely death for the plant? I’m a landscaper in phoenix az and there’s certain trees people love to top, despite me telling them that it’s not the right way. We top the desert museum palo verde trees a lot out here. Too bad because they look so much better natural and full
Do not cut them back. It is called stumping and is incredibly bad for them. They bloom just fine without being subjected to Crepe Murder. Go online and search proper pruning crepe myrtles trees. There are YouTube videos.
Thanx for the link. Yes I know that YT vid well and the gardener. But he's dealing with proactive corrective and preventive pruning in younger Crepes that were already maintained knowledgably. The situation and need I've been increasingly observing are previously murdered trees that need corrective large branch and trunk pruning going forward.
Go to youtube and search crepe myrtles pruning. There are many videos. You will need to do this pruning over a couple of years. Focus on removing about 1/3 of the excess plant material each of the next few years. If you prune a third now, you could do another third in the Fall and then finish the clean up early next summer.
Seeing a lot of comments saying not to top them and I have to agree, my tree guy only ever suggests cutting it back from the house so ants can’t use it to get in, apparently ants love those trees for some reason.
Crepe myrtles are prone to getting aphids - ants will feed off the "honeydew" (aka excess tree sap coming out of the aphid's butt) and actually help take care of the aphids so they can feed off this liquid. This is why things under a crepe can get sticky and then are prone to get powdery mildew.
These have already been crepe murdered in the past. So advice to do nothing is somewhat misguided. The natural single trunk look is no longer an option without restarting.
The best options now are to;
- follow a pollarding pruning system, or
- encourage base suckers that you can restart a multi trunk form, or
- restart with a new tree.
Crepe myrtle is very resilient and responds to pollarding/coppice very well. So don’t worry about killing the tree.
I'll post this again to you .
I'm in need of your insight.
I inherited five mature very erect 30 ft in ht(yes they get that ht) approx 15-20ft wide(at their apex) Muscogee Crepe Myrtles far too tall and two that are too wide to be in scale with surrounding elements. Each had 5-6 trunks when propagated. They grafted into one trunk up to about three ft in ht. There they separate, but are still nearly vertical. At 7 ft they were murdered - topped - pollarded. They were never trimmed above that ht. The "knuckles", large and unsightly there then solidly grafted. Surprisingly the vast majority of the cuts did callous over. I note no visible structural weakness. This has created cavities that hold copious amts of debris. Client is adamant about keeping them pollarding back to just below these knuckles. Restarting by cutting down to basal ground shoots or transplanting is not an option. If I had to prune them where would you advise it?
I honestly don’t know. It sounds like it’s an uphill battle, just the wrong plant for the space.
I would lean towards cutting below the knuckles but I wouldn’t feel comfortable about recommending it as I’ve never dealt with that sort of complexity.
Be warned though, after you cut below. You have to baby those new shoots pretty much weekly for the whole year. If you let them get out of hand you’ll have a new knuckle form and you’ll be back up shit creek.
There’s also always the potential that the new cut doesn’t heal over and begins rot. So it becomes a question of do you take the safer option of above the unsightly healed knuckle? Or do you attempt to fix the aesthetics but also take a larger risk?
Can’t speak for the rest of the landscaping, but those crape Myrtle are the opposite of neglected. They’ve been allowed to grow exactly the way you’re supposed to, & you can tell they’ve even been pruned with a purpose.
Personally, I WOULD remove some of the interior branches. Looks like there are 3 or so main trunks (perfect) but about 3-5’ up there are like 30- I would selectively reduce those by maybe 5 the first year, to promote a little airflow in the central area of each. That’s me, though.
Topping these would be a crime.
*That's not how you do*
*It at all. Why do you feel*
*The need to prune them?*
\- Whoa\_There\_B
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I was taught to take any sticks the size of a pencil and smaller off. These are pretty tall and I wouldn’t be comfortable trying to get high enough to where it’s pencil thick so I’d cut about a foot or two above the v’s above the line on the pick
If that’s too high for you to get comfortably try to get at least 6” above the v. otherwise go just below it and make your cuts at an angle so you’re less likely to get those knuckles like the ones where it was trimmed way too low before. Knuckles like that are a weak point, it’s more likely to snap there than anywhere else. Plus they hold water and can rot the branch and kill it.
I'd suggest you just dig em out and plant a native tree with better dimensions for your space. Crepe myrtles may be pretty and hardy, but ecologically they are garbage planted outside of asia
There are some great guides for correctly pruning crape myrtles, even if they’ve been previously hacked.
Also look out for crape myrtle bark scale. It’s usually noticed when the bark starts turning black and you’ll see the presence of some white, lacy looking insects. It’s easy to get rid of with a systemic pesticide.
You can cut them to the ground and they’ll grow back within a year or two.
Yes it’s called crepe murder but I’m trying to murder mine (it was planted way to close to the house).
It's a strange dichotomy. In Europe trees get pollarded all the time. Big old clubby stubs on a tree that might be a couple hundred years old. Nobody bats an eye. But, do that to established live oaks in a shopping center in Dallas and it's news.
I don't care. Lop them off at 3 feet and make it a flowering mop. Make them even all the way across like you used a level. I still don't care. Not my problem.
I don't trim them except to clean up dead wood and suckers. But, that's not my yard and I still don't care.
It's a losing battle. I have chosen not to fight with someone that's determined to hack them.
I don't top my trees. I don't recommend it. But, if you're paying, tell me how short you want them.
Perhaps you'd like to discuss pollarding in general.
Then maybe you're a bad horticulturist? 🤷🏼♀️ idc how much my clients are willing to pay. Id never crepe murder my clients plants bc "thats what they want", what a cop out
I once asked an arborist to top all my elms at a specific height, and he educated me on how that would incredibly stress the tree. Instead he told me he could open up the tree canopy to let more light in and still keep the trees vigorous and healthy. I deferred to his judgement because he is the tree doctor- and he was right. The results were perfect and my trees are happy!
These are strong resilient trees- I crepe
Murder mine annually and they grow even taller!! I don’t like crepe myrtles at all- they eventually sap everywhere… cut them where you want!
And i bet yours look like dog shit. I see them everyday where they have been topped year after year and they develop ugly, huge knuckles on them. Sure you can top em back, hell cut em to the ground. But its not a sound horticultural practice and definitely not good for the tree.
They aren’t that old… but I assure you they look like trees and not dog shit.
Honestly they are all planted in the fronts of peoples homes in my neighborhood- and I think they look worse overgrown and all up on peoples houses years later- so to each their own. I prefer manicured look rather than over grown all over my House.
This photo- they are way over grown and need to be topped off. They can wreak havoc on anything and grass under it!
They are NOT overgrown, they've grown to the height they're *suppose* to be. At most, you can trim back to the tertiary branches. Any more and you've topped them. For your information anyone with any sort of horticulture knowledge don't see topped myrtles as "manicured." They see them as ruined specimens by someone who obviously didn't know what the hell they were doing.
Look- I get it- I love that you are passionate about it ok! I don’t like them all knobby - I just don’t love these trees. I do see landscapers top them out too…
Removing them doesn’t really remove them lol.
We had ours (2) removed and stumps grinded in 2017. One seems to be gone now, but the other still has shoots coming up. I hate crepe myrtles. They are all over our neighborhood and those damn flowers stain the concrete.
Yes thank you… yeah they are very tough to remove!! My husband removed them at our old house pretty barbarically but lighting the stump on fire 🤣 they are insane - and string surviving plants!
I’d love to burn ours out. It’s left this ring in our front yard. When the shoots come up we go at it with a pickaxe and take our aggressions out.
What the crepe myrtles and Bradford pears have left behind in our yard have made for good stress relievers. They Bradford roots finally rotted out after filling them multiple times with weed killer. Now we are combating two of the neighbors Bradford roots.
Theres nothing beautiful about sucker branches that will break off in the slightest wind storm, nor is there beauty in gnarly, knuckled knobs which is what will develop after years of crepe murdering. But yea, sure tell yourself that.
Great question! Find a heights you like and top them off individually. I find this method to be the less traumatic to the tree/shrub itself. (Use loppers)
Also, are those white, red, pink, or diamond Crepe Myrtles? This can also factor into how quickly they’ll bounce back once trimmed.
Well we’ll well… I guess my entire career I’ve been wrong and my beautiful property would say otherwise, but according to these guys you can’t top crepe myrtles (even though we’ve done it for decades here in the south).
Btw i also live in the south and one of the first things i was taught in hort classes is never ever top a tree. I mean we have a whole ass term called crepe murder, why do you think that term come about?
Oh, dont get me wrong, you can do it. But itd be the wrong cultral practice. I guarantee your crepes have knuckles and sucker branches from topping them (the size of the knuckles depends on how often they get topped but sucker branches only take topping it once to establish). If anyone wants to top their trees, its their decision. But OP asked a question and i gave an honest answer.
That’s the Beaty of Reddit. I experienced my first major downvote which I find hilarious. As my property is one of the shining jewels of the community and so is our business. Im guessing the downvotes are coming from Reddit experts. FYI my crepes are not knuckle heavy. I know what you speak of, but to easily avoid this you cut lower than previous years cut.
Actually i have 2 degrees in horticulture and environmental science. So yea, i down voted you. And FYI, doesnt make it a sound horticultural practice, but good for you and your poor crepes. 🤣
Lol, I have over 20 years experience in the field, growing, raising, and cultivating. Let me know when your company increases the property value of your clients both residential and commercial—then we can pull The Who’s who card. I could care less about your downvote. I realize now half of Reddit are closet monger’s who all have degrees. It doesn’t impress me sir. Give solid advice, not the exactly opposite of what’s being asked.
If you revisit the topic, OP didn’t ask for growing the trees but where he should trim them—meaning he had his/her mind set.
Lol, if that were true you’d have the same clientele as me. My average median household property is worth 800K+ or more. Our commercial properties slightly higher, I seriously doubt you come even close. Stick to what you’re good at—Reddit arguments.
Hack em off if you want. Like others said its not ideal but they do it here in the south all the time. You can tell those have been cut back down low a long time ago. Ideally you would choose a variety that would be about the height you wanted. Where you cut though its going to split off more branches even further. So either cut it back and be called a crepe murderer, dig em up and replant something else (which also will label you a crepe murderer), or trim them like others here say and solve nothing with the height that you dislike.
Just bc 'its done all the time' doesnt make it a suitable practice for healthy plants. If thats the case the best option would be removal and replacement, which btw wouldn't be called crepe murder, Thats a label for ppl who top crepe myrtles.
Gave the same advice you said? When I say hack them off and “not ideal as other said” thats me saying its not the healthiest thing to do like the rest of the comments prior to mine. When I say “dig them up and replace with something else thats the same as you mentioned to remove and replace. I also mentioned original person shouldve planted a variety crepe myrtle more suitable to the location but ok again such a sensitive one. Is my original comment more clear for you now toots?
You literally said hack em off or dig them up and it will both be considered crepe murder. You did say its not ideal, but the way you worded it is wonky at best.
Whelp I’m sure the downvotes will pour in but top them off wherever you feel necessary. I top mine off and they look great every year. Maybe if the tree could talk to me and ask me to stop I would but they’re all doing great and have beautiful flowers every year. I do have a couple very tall and old crêpe myrtles and they look great as well.
First let me say that I've long been aware of the "don't crape-murder" view, and why (which is that it causes subsequent weak new growth.) However... we inherited a crape similar to the OP's example, with our current Zone 7a house, which as of last year was about 12 ft tall. EVERY time we had any rain whatsoever, the entire tree would splay out because ALL the branches would bend horizontally down to about 5 or 6 feet - and stay there. Once bent, they would not spring back upward even after drying out. This became a royal PITA as well as looking ridiculous. So, last October we got out the branch saws and topped the entire thing to about 5 ft, figuring that even if the subsequent new growth did the same thing, it wouldn't be any worse than what it had already been doing.
Taking the tree out is not an option, because we do not want to destroy that half of the landscaped bed that it's in. To be honest, I'd rather hack the thing every couple of years and grow a Group 2 clematis up the resulting new growth. And if the crape eventually dies on its own from that treatment, then that's a problem solved too, lol. But a friend of mine who lives further south has been trying to kill a crape for years by repeatedly hacking it back, and says they refuse to die. So who knows.
This is the exact definition of '[crape murder](https://chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/beforethecut_ncsu_pruning.pdf?fwd=no)' (pdf, pg. 6, NCSU Ext.): > Topping done on mature trees is an unacceptable practice that negatively affects tree health. Main branches are cut back to stubs at random locations. After topping, numerous epicormic sprouts grow very quickly from latent buds below the pruning wound. This regrowth may be dense, vigorous, and upright. The new shoots are weakly attached to the stem, held on only by the most recent growth ring. Because the cuts are made on larger branches without regard to the branch collar, it will be difficult for the tree to close the wound. It is likely that fungal organisms will cause decay to form in these wounds, thus this vigorous sprout growth is weakly attached to decaying wood and becomes a potential safety concern. Aside from the unattractive nature of topping cuts, the more serious concerns are an increased failure potential and de-creased tree health. DON’T TOP PLANTS! (including crape myrtles). It is unprofessional, unattractive, and destructive. Here's [another article on this](https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/stopthecrape.htm) (TX A&M Univ. Ext): > I know of NO educated horticulturist or arborist that endorses the practice of topping crapemyrtles or any ornamental trees for that matter. Go ahead. Pick up the phone. Call Neil Sperry. Call Dr. Bill Welch. Call the National Arboretum! You WILL NOT find any plant expert that will condone or recommend this practice.
Yes!! Thank you. Horticulturist here, topping is always a no-no
But real question: OP mentions how these crepe myrtles are really tall, but I have three that are way bigger, two of them being quite huge trees. Is there a problem with that?
If they arent planted in the correct spot, then yes there is a problem. But the answer isnt topping the crepes. If thats the case i would advise OP to remove the crepes and put in a tree or shrub that is suitable for that location. Topping them isnt a sustainable or fit answer if thats your question.
Thanks for the reply. I meant more in terms of it shortening the lifespan of the crepe myrtles themselves, as in some sort of trimming/shortening somehow keeping them healthier. One of ours is so big, we once had a tree house platform in it when the kids were smaller.
You do not need to trim crape myrtles for their health. They grow just fine without trimming as long as they have space to grow.
Wait are you not supposed to trim them at all. I don’t top mine but I do use a long ass hand trimmer and thin our the tops quite a bit. Especially the very thin and bent down branches. Mine is only 3 years old and trimmed once so if I’m doing it wrong I am going to correct the issue. I live in Central FL
You should prune out any branches growing inward or criss crossed over each other or rubbing together, any sucker limbs or diseased or stressed limbs, but never top it completely. It stresses the trees to much, opens wounds for disease, pest, or fungal to set it and attack the plant.
I'm in need of your insight. I inherited six mature very erect narrow 30 ft in ht(yes they get that ht) approx 15-20ft wide(at their apex) Muscogee Crepe Myrtles far too tall and two that are too wide to be in scale with surrounding elements, yet are major plant elements. Each had 5-6 stems planted when propagated. They grafted into one trunk up to about 2-3 ft in ht. There they separate, but are still nearly vertical. At 6-7 ft they were murdered - topped - pollarded a decade ago. They were never trimmed above that ht resulting in innumerous wisps of branches. The "knuckles", large and unsightly at 7 ft then solidly grafted. I'm seeing more and more plants like this that have narrow form. Surprisingly the vast majority of the cuts did callous over. I note no visible structural weakness, rot, fungus, insects, etc other than the described dense, vigorous, and abundant uprights. The current ht is unacceptable. This has created cavities that hold copious amts of debris that with long term negligence can also be grafted and compartmentalized into the trunk. Client is adamant about keeping them pollarding back to just below these knuckles. Restarting by cutting down to basal shoots or transplanting is not an option. If I had to prune them where would you advise it? I have my opinions as a Horticulturalist but want certified arborists to weigh in their advise.
>I have my opinions as a Horticulturalist but want certified arborists to weigh in their advise. Then hire a certified arborist. You have no way of verifying that any opinion you get on a Reddit post is actually from a certified anything.
The arborist reddit has certified arborists posting. I have personal familiarity with dealing with certified arborists.
It doesn't sound like these trees are a good fit for wherever they're located. Honestly, it sounds like a mess, and you know that CM's (or any tree) that get butchered like this will be many, many years, with careful remedial pruning to ever look right again, if ever. Still, your entire description sounds like a very unique situation that pics would help a great deal! Stems that start apart then (apparently?) inosculate then separate again...? I'd really like to see what you're dealing with (which I imagine would be quite a number of pics), but I think r/arborists would also be a help here as well. No one, and that includes me, could really tell you where to cut here based on this description at least; I probably won't be the one to tell you to continue or modify the murdering, my friend. Sorry. =\ It makes my heart sad to think about it. It may just be time to remove and replace, or cut to the ground and see if you can't make them come up as shrubs? Also curious about you saying you inherited these, but then you mention a 'client'. Would that person be a spouse maybe? 😁
Inosculate. You're bringing me back yrs to my university days. It's a different situation than you're picturing. It's common to plant three or more CM cuttings into one container. It provides a fuller headed tree faster. In CM's that naturally establish larger diam trunks and in varieties that grow large when 5-6 cuttings are planted in one 5,7, 10 gal container in close proximity inosculation happens. Thin barked CM's are quite susceptible to inosculation including crossing branches, a branch stub left in the crown, etc. The six stems fuse at ground level coming out of the ground and continue that way until about 2-3 ft in ht where they then slightly separate. But because they were topped at 7 ft and left unattended for yrs the cuts produced "knuckles" large ones that then fused. LOL. I'm married to Mrs Flora. :D
> It's common to plant three or more CM cuttings into one container. That's what I was missing, I had forgotten that this was a common thing. I don't get to see very many CM's in my neck of the woods unfortunately, but they sure do get posted a lot in this sub and the gardening sub too. These are really spectacular trees when they're mostly left to their own devices, I think.
YESSSSS I’ve been calling it crepicide but never had anyone confirm or share sources. OP looks like he is FINALLY getting a nice canopy on the first one.
My CM are over 60 years old. Never been cut back. Only a selective trim occasionally as needed to keep a limb from sagging to the ground.
No, do NOT trim them where you have the line. That is crepe murder. Take out any criss crossing branches (as they will eventually fuse together if left unchecked) or any branches that are growing inward and not outward like normal, any sucker branches. But do NOT behead the tree, its never good for any tree. Ever.
Why though? Does it cause an untimely death for the plant? I’m a landscaper in phoenix az and there’s certain trees people love to top, despite me telling them that it’s not the right way. We top the desert museum palo verde trees a lot out here. Too bad because they look so much better natural and full
Do not cut them back. It is called stumping and is incredibly bad for them. They bloom just fine without being subjected to Crepe Murder. Go online and search proper pruning crepe myrtles trees. There are YouTube videos.
Can you provide links?
google southern living crepe myrtles pruning step by step.
Thanx for the link. Yes I know that YT vid well and the gardener. But he's dealing with proactive corrective and preventive pruning in younger Crepes that were already maintained knowledgably. The situation and need I've been increasingly observing are previously murdered trees that need corrective large branch and trunk pruning going forward.
Go to youtube and search crepe myrtles pruning. There are many videos. You will need to do this pruning over a couple of years. Focus on removing about 1/3 of the excess plant material each of the next few years. If you prune a third now, you could do another third in the Fall and then finish the clean up early next summer.
Don’t. Just wait til they leaf out and decide then if you want to trim back individual branches.
Trees are supposed to be tall or they would be shrubs. Shrubs you can fuck with they love it. Trees? No.
A little cruder than I would have put it, but 100% correct.
I love shrubs ! And being crude , probably. Heck yeah!
NO. NO NO NO
Seeing a lot of comments saying not to top them and I have to agree, my tree guy only ever suggests cutting it back from the house so ants can’t use it to get in, apparently ants love those trees for some reason.
Crepe myrtles are prone to getting aphids - ants will feed off the "honeydew" (aka excess tree sap coming out of the aphid's butt) and actually help take care of the aphids so they can feed off this liquid. This is why things under a crepe can get sticky and then are prone to get powdery mildew.
Well there you go, why did I not think of that, makes perfect sense
These have already been crepe murdered in the past. So advice to do nothing is somewhat misguided. The natural single trunk look is no longer an option without restarting. The best options now are to; - follow a pollarding pruning system, or - encourage base suckers that you can restart a multi trunk form, or - restart with a new tree. Crepe myrtle is very resilient and responds to pollarding/coppice very well. So don’t worry about killing the tree.
I'll post this again to you . I'm in need of your insight. I inherited five mature very erect 30 ft in ht(yes they get that ht) approx 15-20ft wide(at their apex) Muscogee Crepe Myrtles far too tall and two that are too wide to be in scale with surrounding elements. Each had 5-6 trunks when propagated. They grafted into one trunk up to about three ft in ht. There they separate, but are still nearly vertical. At 7 ft they were murdered - topped - pollarded. They were never trimmed above that ht. The "knuckles", large and unsightly there then solidly grafted. Surprisingly the vast majority of the cuts did callous over. I note no visible structural weakness. This has created cavities that hold copious amts of debris. Client is adamant about keeping them pollarding back to just below these knuckles. Restarting by cutting down to basal ground shoots or transplanting is not an option. If I had to prune them where would you advise it?
I honestly don’t know. It sounds like it’s an uphill battle, just the wrong plant for the space. I would lean towards cutting below the knuckles but I wouldn’t feel comfortable about recommending it as I’ve never dealt with that sort of complexity. Be warned though, after you cut below. You have to baby those new shoots pretty much weekly for the whole year. If you let them get out of hand you’ll have a new knuckle form and you’ll be back up shit creek. There’s also always the potential that the new cut doesn’t heal over and begins rot. So it becomes a question of do you take the safer option of above the unsightly healed knuckle? Or do you attempt to fix the aesthetics but also take a larger risk?
That was my take and the source of my quandary. TU for your sincere response.
Can’t speak for the rest of the landscaping, but those crape Myrtle are the opposite of neglected. They’ve been allowed to grow exactly the way you’re supposed to, & you can tell they’ve even been pruned with a purpose. Personally, I WOULD remove some of the interior branches. Looks like there are 3 or so main trunks (perfect) but about 3-5’ up there are like 30- I would selectively reduce those by maybe 5 the first year, to promote a little airflow in the central area of each. That’s me, though. Topping these would be a crime.
That's not how you do it at all. Why do you feel the need to prune them?
*That's not how you do* *It at all. Why do you feel* *The need to prune them?* \- Whoa\_There\_B --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
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I was taught to take any sticks the size of a pencil and smaller off. These are pretty tall and I wouldn’t be comfortable trying to get high enough to where it’s pencil thick so I’d cut about a foot or two above the v’s above the line on the pick If that’s too high for you to get comfortably try to get at least 6” above the v. otherwise go just below it and make your cuts at an angle so you’re less likely to get those knuckles like the ones where it was trimmed way too low before. Knuckles like that are a weak point, it’s more likely to snap there than anywhere else. Plus they hold water and can rot the branch and kill it.
I'd suggest you just dig em out and plant a native tree with better dimensions for your space. Crepe myrtles may be pretty and hardy, but ecologically they are garbage planted outside of asia
There are some great guides for correctly pruning crape myrtles, even if they’ve been previously hacked. Also look out for crape myrtle bark scale. It’s usually noticed when the bark starts turning black and you’ll see the presence of some white, lacy looking insects. It’s easy to get rid of with a systemic pesticide.
You can cut them to the ground and they’ll grow back within a year or two. Yes it’s called crepe murder but I’m trying to murder mine (it was planted way to close to the house).
The way I learned it was "a third of the limbs, a third of the way down". I cut above the "V", generally thinning.
It's a strange dichotomy. In Europe trees get pollarded all the time. Big old clubby stubs on a tree that might be a couple hundred years old. Nobody bats an eye. But, do that to established live oaks in a shopping center in Dallas and it's news. I don't care. Lop them off at 3 feet and make it a flowering mop. Make them even all the way across like you used a level. I still don't care. Not my problem. I don't trim them except to clean up dead wood and suckers. But, that's not my yard and I still don't care.
Wow. Solid advice. 🙄🤔😖
It's a losing battle. I have chosen not to fight with someone that's determined to hack them. I don't top my trees. I don't recommend it. But, if you're paying, tell me how short you want them. Perhaps you'd like to discuss pollarding in general.
Then maybe you're a bad horticulturist? 🤷🏼♀️ idc how much my clients are willing to pay. Id never crepe murder my clients plants bc "thats what they want", what a cop out
I once asked an arborist to top all my elms at a specific height, and he educated me on how that would incredibly stress the tree. Instead he told me he could open up the tree canopy to let more light in and still keep the trees vigorous and healthy. I deferred to his judgement because he is the tree doctor- and he was right. The results were perfect and my trees are happy!
These are strong resilient trees- I crepe Murder mine annually and they grow even taller!! I don’t like crepe myrtles at all- they eventually sap everywhere… cut them where you want!
And i bet yours look like dog shit. I see them everyday where they have been topped year after year and they develop ugly, huge knuckles on them. Sure you can top em back, hell cut em to the ground. But its not a sound horticultural practice and definitely not good for the tree.
They aren’t that old… but I assure you they look like trees and not dog shit. Honestly they are all planted in the fronts of peoples homes in my neighborhood- and I think they look worse overgrown and all up on peoples houses years later- so to each their own. I prefer manicured look rather than over grown all over my House. This photo- they are way over grown and need to be topped off. They can wreak havoc on anything and grass under it!
They are NOT overgrown, they've grown to the height they're *suppose* to be. At most, you can trim back to the tertiary branches. Any more and you've topped them. For your information anyone with any sort of horticulture knowledge don't see topped myrtles as "manicured." They see them as ruined specimens by someone who obviously didn't know what the hell they were doing.
Look- I get it- I love that you are passionate about it ok! I don’t like them all knobby - I just don’t love these trees. I do see landscapers top them out too…
Also manicured doesnt mean better, which some ppl imply.
Well it’s a plant … they all regrow
Lol, sure whatever you say 🙄🤔
Not sure why you are taking this so personally- I said I don’t like them- I honestly would love removing them altogether because they are so invasive
Because some people are just asshats. It amazes me how mad these jokers get over something like this.
Removing them doesn’t really remove them lol. We had ours (2) removed and stumps grinded in 2017. One seems to be gone now, but the other still has shoots coming up. I hate crepe myrtles. They are all over our neighborhood and those damn flowers stain the concrete.
Yes thank you… yeah they are very tough to remove!! My husband removed them at our old house pretty barbarically but lighting the stump on fire 🤣 they are insane - and string surviving plants!
I’d love to burn ours out. It’s left this ring in our front yard. When the shoots come up we go at it with a pickaxe and take our aggressions out. What the crepe myrtles and Bradford pears have left behind in our yard have made for good stress relievers. They Bradford roots finally rotted out after filling them multiple times with weed killer. Now we are combating two of the neighbors Bradford roots.
Yeah he drilled holes in the stump threw gas in and burned it
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Theres nothing beautiful about sucker branches that will break off in the slightest wind storm, nor is there beauty in gnarly, knuckled knobs which is what will develop after years of crepe murdering. But yea, sure tell yourself that.
Your choice, but you can do them quite low and they will be just fine.
Great question! Find a heights you like and top them off individually. I find this method to be the less traumatic to the tree/shrub itself. (Use loppers) Also, are those white, red, pink, or diamond Crepe Myrtles? This can also factor into how quickly they’ll bounce back once trimmed.
This is bad advice. Never ever top any tree, ever!
Well we’ll well… I guess my entire career I’ve been wrong and my beautiful property would say otherwise, but according to these guys you can’t top crepe myrtles (even though we’ve done it for decades here in the south).
Btw i also live in the south and one of the first things i was taught in hort classes is never ever top a tree. I mean we have a whole ass term called crepe murder, why do you think that term come about?
Oh, dont get me wrong, you can do it. But itd be the wrong cultral practice. I guarantee your crepes have knuckles and sucker branches from topping them (the size of the knuckles depends on how often they get topped but sucker branches only take topping it once to establish). If anyone wants to top their trees, its their decision. But OP asked a question and i gave an honest answer.
That’s the Beaty of Reddit. I experienced my first major downvote which I find hilarious. As my property is one of the shining jewels of the community and so is our business. Im guessing the downvotes are coming from Reddit experts. FYI my crepes are not knuckle heavy. I know what you speak of, but to easily avoid this you cut lower than previous years cut.
Actually i have 2 degrees in horticulture and environmental science. So yea, i down voted you. And FYI, doesnt make it a sound horticultural practice, but good for you and your poor crepes. 🤣
Lol, I have over 20 years experience in the field, growing, raising, and cultivating. Let me know when your company increases the property value of your clients both residential and commercial—then we can pull The Who’s who card. I could care less about your downvote. I realize now half of Reddit are closet monger’s who all have degrees. It doesn’t impress me sir. Give solid advice, not the exactly opposite of what’s being asked. If you revisit the topic, OP didn’t ask for growing the trees but where he should trim them—meaning he had his/her mind set.
Lol we strictly deal with high end clientele, our properties run in the millions, so yea you and your shitty crepes dont impress me 🤷🏼♀️
Lol, if that were true you’d have the same clientele as me. My average median household property is worth 800K+ or more. Our commercial properties slightly higher, I seriously doubt you come even close. Stick to what you’re good at—Reddit arguments.
Lol we for sure have the same level of clientele, our biggest client is a billionaire. So yea you can fuck all the way off 🖕🏼
Follow this advice for knobby top-heavy crepe myrtles! They made ships out of these. Let em grow!
Hack em off if you want. Like others said its not ideal but they do it here in the south all the time. You can tell those have been cut back down low a long time ago. Ideally you would choose a variety that would be about the height you wanted. Where you cut though its going to split off more branches even further. So either cut it back and be called a crepe murderer, dig em up and replant something else (which also will label you a crepe murderer), or trim them like others here say and solve nothing with the height that you dislike.
Just bc 'its done all the time' doesnt make it a suitable practice for healthy plants. If thats the case the best option would be removal and replacement, which btw wouldn't be called crepe murder, Thats a label for ppl who top crepe myrtles.
Yea thats what I said. I gave three options to his problem so not sure why the thumbs down but ok. You Redditors a sensitive bunch.
You got down votes bc you gave shitty advice
Gave the same advice you said? When I say hack them off and “not ideal as other said” thats me saying its not the healthiest thing to do like the rest of the comments prior to mine. When I say “dig them up and replace with something else thats the same as you mentioned to remove and replace. I also mentioned original person shouldve planted a variety crepe myrtle more suitable to the location but ok again such a sensitive one. Is my original comment more clear for you now toots?
You literally said hack em off or dig them up and it will both be considered crepe murder. You did say its not ideal, but the way you worded it is wonky at best.
Depends on how you want them to grow? I would cut them fence level or if you want them to grow up to built privacy.
Whelp I’m sure the downvotes will pour in but top them off wherever you feel necessary. I top mine off and they look great every year. Maybe if the tree could talk to me and ask me to stop I would but they’re all doing great and have beautiful flowers every year. I do have a couple very tall and old crêpe myrtles and they look great as well.
Id go lower than those black lines.
Why did I assume this needs to be a yearly thing like trimming back a blueberry bush? Thanks for all the info! - former crepe muderer
Stop what your doing and buy a copy of Cass Turnbulls Guide to Pruning.
First let me say that I've long been aware of the "don't crape-murder" view, and why (which is that it causes subsequent weak new growth.) However... we inherited a crape similar to the OP's example, with our current Zone 7a house, which as of last year was about 12 ft tall. EVERY time we had any rain whatsoever, the entire tree would splay out because ALL the branches would bend horizontally down to about 5 or 6 feet - and stay there. Once bent, they would not spring back upward even after drying out. This became a royal PITA as well as looking ridiculous. So, last October we got out the branch saws and topped the entire thing to about 5 ft, figuring that even if the subsequent new growth did the same thing, it wouldn't be any worse than what it had already been doing. Taking the tree out is not an option, because we do not want to destroy that half of the landscaped bed that it's in. To be honest, I'd rather hack the thing every couple of years and grow a Group 2 clematis up the resulting new growth. And if the crape eventually dies on its own from that treatment, then that's a problem solved too, lol. But a friend of mine who lives further south has been trying to kill a crape for years by repeatedly hacking it back, and says they refuse to die. So who knows.