pruning a Common Crepe Myrtle

[heartland]

I have a customer with some rather large crepe myrtle shrubs. For those interested, see Lagerstroemia indica at http://hort.science.orst.edu/classes/hort226/lain1.htm

The target shrubs are very mature and have not been pruned in a long time. These things are almost 20' tall and have a 6-8" DBH.

My question is this: Is is ok to cut these things down to around 10'?

It would essentially be a "topping" of the shrub because there are no lateral branches at the 10' mark. These things grow like weeds down here in TX, but I don't want to do anything that would seriously jeopardize the plant (or my reputation, for that matter).

Looking forward to hearing from you all.

 

[treeclimber165]

At what height does it have branching? Pollarding crepe myrtles is very common here as well. Crepes that are pollarded correctly look great for many years, others that get hacked by the rookie on the lawn crew typically look like sh*t. Search 'Pollarding'.

I'd go as high as I could to top the crepes. Preferably above some branching so the cuts are smaller and there are twice as many places for them to sprout. This also isn't a one-shot deal. I'd come back by after 2-3 months to see how they are doing and tend to any training necessary. That basically would mean walking up and snapping or pruning off the errant sprouts. You will be training them from scratch so how they look in the future will depend on how you train them the first time. If you do not, they will most certainly look like crap.

 

[heartland]

They don't branch till about 12-15' and the customer really wants their size reduced drastically. Given the large diameter of these things, I am concerned about the lack of strength the new sprouts will have if the cuts are made where she wants.

Am I being overly concerned here? Or should I just go for it and do the follow up like you suggest?

 

[Eric E.]

Tim,

What is the objective for the pruning? Why does the homeowner want this done?

 

[heartland]

The objective is to reduce size. She does not like them as tall as they are.... but you bring up a good point. Perhaps I should focus on how to work with their height a bit more.

They are truly beautiful shrubs and in excellent health. If the cuts could be made above the existing knuckles, they would still be healthy and the beauty would be maintained. They could be thinned a bit to give them a "lighter" look as well.

She is a little old lady and just the sweetest thing. I really don't want to make her place look ugly, and I fear that is exactly what would happen if I take them down that low.

I'm open to any suggestions on how to handle this situation

 

[Eric E.]

Tim,
Multiple trunks/stems or multiple stems from a single trunk?

 

[heartland]

Multiple trunks. Each one going straight up till around 12-15', where they have multiple stems. These are large trunks on the order of 6-8" DBH, which means if I cut them at the 10' mark, a bunch of bare stubs would remain.

 

[Greg]

I like to see big crepe's, but I rarely do. People around here think that you must top them or they will not flower. I have seen plenty the same size you are talking about cut even lower. I doubt that it would kill them.
Disney has some beautiful large crepe myrtles, but then again most of their plants are.
Greg

 

[treeclimber165]

Tim,
Eric raised a good point. Perhaps you could talk with the owner and find out what she wants, rather than her opinion on how to achieve what she wants. If you follow the directive of the customer, the customer will not get what they want. This is where good salesmanship and customer relations comes in. If you can find out WHY she wants them cut back so far, perhaps you can achieve what she desires by using different methods.

Crepes rarely look really good with only one whacking per year. Most will look much better with a couple follow-up visits to clean up unwanted sprouts. It only takes a minute (not counting drive time) but can make a world of difference.

 

[mikecross23]

This is a little off topic, sorry.

When I had just turned 16 my grandmother asked me to dig up her red tops in the back yard b/c they weren't doing well. One day I thought I'd suprise her and do it when she wasn't there. I didn't know the difference and I dug up all 6 of her dormant crepe myrtles. I mean dang, they looked dead to me! I went to my aunts house right after that and she said, "what you got those crepe myrtles for?" I said those aren't CMs, they are Grandma's red tops. OOPS!!! Replanted them right away and they now (8 yrs later) are monsterous! Never got around to the red tops and now they are also healthy and huge!

That's the closest I've been to working on crepe myrtles.

 

[heartland]

Dan - she does have other trees that I'll be working in.

I'm gonna to try and better understand her motivation on the crepe myrtles and hopefully recommend keeping them tall with a simple pruning. Hopefully, removing all the shoots down to the knuckle will provide enough height reduction for her.

I appreciate everybody's input here. It helped me to see things from a better perspective

 

[TREETX]

Crepemurder!!

The oaks are starting to flower a bit, the robins are flying north and yes, I saw a dogwood flowering. The sights of Crepemurder season. Happens here every year.

There is a 40yrs old one in my yard that has no signs of prievious topping. Flowers as much or more than the others.

Try to sell them on pollarding. The draw back is that who ever does it next year will probably cut into the heart wood.

There are also varieties out there that only get 10 feet tall.

Most people crepemurder because they see it being done all over town.

 

[CityUF]

Pollarding is high maintenance

I call it crape murder... but topped crape myrtles are common here. I get asked and harrassed about my city trees that are not topped. I'm told every spring they won't flower unless they "I cut them back hard".

BULL...

Pollarding is the OK version of topping but creates lots of work. Crapes want to sucker a lot anyway but cutting them creates more suckers than you want to deal with.

The best option that I tell people who want smaller crapes is to plant smaller crapes. Contact a landscaper and tell them they can have the big ones in exchange for a smaller variety with the same color and shape.

The other option is to cut off at ground level and manage the root sprouts with proper cuts( not pollarding but heading cuts)

 

[budroe69moni]

nice shout City UF. my sister had some crepe myrtles
about 15-20' tall planted right up against the house
she bought a couple of years ago. we took them back
all the way to ground level and tons of suckers grew
up in the spring. w/ proper prunning over the next few
seasons, she's trained them into some nice little
multi-trunks!!!! can't wait to see them flush out again
this spring!!!!
budroe
p.s. the biggest crepe's i've ever seen are at busch
gardens in williamsburg va. totally awesome specimens!!
had my wife take some pictures of me next to them.....
no wonder she calls me "plant geek"