Recently moved into a place that has 4 crepe Myrtle’s looking like this. Way too many stems and spindly. Any way to get them going in the right direction? Take them out completely? Cut back most stems? Shape them a bit and mostly leave as is? A couple are under a power line so decent chance those come out.
by Smooth-Brilliant5026
28 Comments
Cut at will. It will only grow back stronger. I love Crepe myrtles. We have many on our property. The only thing that will kill it is total removal of the root… and subsequent removal of suckers that pop up for the next 10 years. I have actually dug up the rootball, drug it across my driveway with my truck and a chain, and replanted it with 100% success rate of that dang myrtle growing like a madman the next year. I love them.
A rare case where cut it down and see what happens is not a joke
I’d thin old canes, and pull other stems back to the point of origin, nickel and dime it over 2-3 years. It’s nice to see how it will respond to cuts, by cone of juvenility. Theres no reason to overkill it. Arborist say 1/3 rule, but crepe Myrtle is more of a large shrub. I think this form looks good though. Everyone wants them to be single trunked when this is how they want to be.
remove 1/3 of the trunks
decide what have the greatest level of ornamental value but not growing across the center
be sure to step back periodically- since you can always take time and cut more but you can not put it back once it is cut- while multi stem trees are rare and certainly at this scale when managed properly this could be a rare but particularly eye catching display
I mean, personally I would completely remove it if that was in my property but that’s just because crepe myrtles are so overused in American landscaping that I’ve tried everything to find a picture of one in its native habitat (India), that all I get are pictures of crepe myrtles planted in American strip mall parking lots and HOAs, etc.
Don’t cut any main stems.
I see some comments are saying chop it down to the ground. Presumably because Crape Myrtle responds to coppicing. Actually, Crape Myrtle is not typically described as a clonal tree that naturally resprouts like a coppice species, and severe cutting to stumps is widely discouraged. Because the tree will survive, some think it’s OK — but that does not make it best for the plant or your goals.
> any way to get them going in the right direction?
What does that mean to you? Pointing up? Fanning in all directions? In the path of the sun? This is important as it will help you plan how to make cuts and where.
from the vantage of the picture this is a mature specimen in full sun, it may already have grown naturally into a stable form suited to its conditions. In many cases, if the tree is healthy and in a good site, minimal pruning or no pruning is acceptable. That said, “grown the right direction its whole life” is subjective. I have really damaged and killed a number of mature plants by cutting needlessly. correct structure and shape depend on what you want from it (shade, bloom, aesthetics, etc)
Let it go and enjoy the plant, but that doesn’t mean “never maintain.” Proper maintenance for crape myrtle involves light corrective pruning when needed (dead, diseased, crossing, or weak branches), not drastic removal of main stems.
If you must prune, thin the canopy by removing small limbs (common advice is thinner than a pencil, but I have found larger up to a US $.25 diameter is fine if scrutinized. And avoid removing large structural branches or topping the tree. This helps maintain good structure, healthy growth, and attractive bark, while reducing maintenance and allowing the tree to thrive without the negative effects of severe cutting.
Source: I have killed hundreds of mature bushes and trees with intentions of improving them.
If you are managing that plant long term, educate yourself and save hundred of dollars over the course of its life and your.
https://wayne.ces.ncsu.edu/2025/02/pruning-crape-myrtles-the-correct-way/
https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/pruning/pruning-crapemyrtles/
This tree does not look like it needs anything. It’s out in an open field. It’s growing in its natural form,?
Before pruning we always have a purpose…what problem are we trying to solve? Do we need 8 feet of clearance for the sidewalk? Do we need to be able to access the driveway? Is it growing too close to the chimney?
Why are the specific problems that you are trying to solve?
Otherwise, id suggest to just leave it.
I would remove or reduce the height of anything below a power line. The one pictured, I might clean it up a bit so you focus on keeping vertical trunks and getting rid of any low branches growing down or laterally close to the ground. But I probably wouldn’t do anything crazy to it. I bet that tree is gorgeous in the spring and summer when it’s flowering.
Many great comments already so I will just add some other critical ones:
Prune in early spring only, not during cold winter.
Myrtles need air circulation (especially if there is partial shade). So prune, or even cut branches which stay inside or start at one end and go to the opposite end.
Do not try to complete the pruning in one year. Start with the step above, then top it to the point you see recent growth. I would keep main branches o only. You will be surprised next season with 4-6 foot new branches from those cut areas.
Cut all the lower branches all the way down if they seem to be strangling adjacent ones.
It may not look pretty after the prune, but wait till late summer.
Make this a 3 year project
Id just leave it, its always buged me seeing ones that get trimmed often, they just look worse
That does not look like a variety that will ever want to respond to being a single trunk variety. It is a perfect crepe myrtle just as it is. Many crape myrtles, either sucker or choose to grow as a multi stem trunk. Your picture is a classic example of what a crepe myrtle is supposed to look like.
Does torturing it have a specific purpose?
I wish I could have crepe myrtle. Too far north, too high an elevation, too cold.
If it were mine, I’d thin selectively focusing on crossing/rubbing/dying branches/canes.
Not an arborist but I like crape Myrtle’s, those look fantastic and I hope you leave them as is. They grow in bunches like that.
My neighbor cuts hers in half every other year
Wait till February and cut above the knuckle
You know have a Crepe Myrtle Bush. You have to start pruning it the Sean’s season after you plant it to start creating what you want. We have a 25’ tall tree that was prune every year after our house was built. It was planted in 1979 and is incredible. We have another at our front steps that I have been trimming for about six seasons to form a smaller tree. It’s doing well, but they take time. Good luck.
Puppers loookimg swole af!!
Don’t prune a plant whether it needs it or not.
This is a big hot mess !!! The time has past to make this a proper crepe myrtle . Remove it & replace .
That’s a weird looking monkey living in that tree.
Do you own a hyena?
Myrtle looks fine…
More importantly, that’s an awesome dog! What is that?🤔
I would trim the pencil sized suckers at the bottom, leave the rest to keep it’s elegant shape
Reduce it down to 10-15 healthy main trunks that don’t cross each other.
Eliminate the rest.
Thin bi-annually.
Remove the dead stuff and nothing else. Looks healthy and great.
Google “crape murder”. Severe cutting back eventually ruins or kills the plant.
Why do you say it has too many stems? Why is “spindly” a bad look for crepe myrtle?