One thing that really gripes me each winter is seeing crapemyrtles all across the area being pruned wrong - butchered back and abused. Why, why, why?  Many tall beautiful crapemyrtles are being reduced to nothing but ugly stubs.  This improper pruning technique has been coined "Crape Murder", as once described by Southern Living magazine, and involves severely pruning back crapemyrtles from tree form to shrub form. Wacking back crapemyrtles off at about four feet high to leave only the three to five main trunks is an ugly and foolish practice.  Please stop doing it; listen to these facts on how to correctly prune crapemyrtles.

Crapemyrtles are small trees, not shrubs as some might want to believe and can range from 18 inches to 25 feet tall.  Crapemyrtles are one of the most popular landscape plants because of their colorful summer blooms and their thin, paperlike bark that peels away to reveal smooth cinnamon brown trunks. However, a crapemyrtle's landscape value can be dramatically decreased when its branches are severely disfigured.

Crapemyrtles tend to grow numerous suckers from its base and, therefore, do require some pruning every year.  But only minimal pruning.  Early training will help eliminate any extensive pruning later on. Extensive pruning or cutting crapemyrtles back each year only causes them to vigorously grow back what was removed. The only pruning that should be done each year is to remove suckers and to maintain its attractive shape by removing deadwood and seed pods. And heavy pruning in the winter will not help or force crapemyrtles to bloom more. The only way to stimulate more summer flowering and promote a smaller second flush of blooms is to tip-prune, called deadheading, the old blossoms at the ends of the branches as they fade in late summer.  A crapemyrtle that is not blooming well may be getting too much shade and should be moved to another area to get more direct sunlight. Moving it into more sunlight will also help control powdery mildew.

If you think a crapemyrtle needs to be pruned, do it only during the middle to late winter once the leaves have fallen and the tree is completely dormant. As a rule of thumb to pruning crapemyrtles: don't cut to see over it; cut to see through it.  Remember that crapemyrtles are trees and are suppose to get tall.  However, by shaping the tree, removing the lower limbs, and having only three to five main trunks, will give the crapemyrtle a more attractive and formal appearance. 

Before beginning pruning, imagine the final size and form you want your crapemyrtle to look like. Begin pruning by starting at the base of the plant and cutting away all suckers that may have developed. Then move up the tree and remove all small spindly twigs from the main trunks. Removing these small twigs will allow the smooth showy bark to be seen and more air circulation among the trunks, which helps prevent diseases.  If the tree is young and hasn't been pruned before,  select no more than three to five of the straighter, thicker stems to become the tree's main trunks. The selected trunks need to be evenly spaced, not touching or rubbing each other, and should fan outward in a vase shape. If some limbs are too large for loppers or pruning shears, a pruning saw will be required. 

Next, move on up the trunk and remove any large branches below 3 feet high. The general idea of pruning crapemyrtles is to cut limbs back to the crotch or lateral branch at the branch collar, the raised or swollen area at the base of the branch where it joins the trunk. It forms a protective barrier against disease and insects and promotes healing of the wound that results from pruning.  There are really no rules for pruning the branches of crapemyrtles above three feet.  At this point, only take out branches that are necessary.  The crapemyrtle may not need any limbs removed or any additional pruning. It is now more a personal opinion on how much or how little to prune. Less is better but any branches closer than 6 to 8 inches or numerous small twigs might need to be pruned. Just remember that shearing, topping, or just cutting branches into will only promote vigorous, long branches when new growth begins. Pruning to the crotch or lateral branch will prevent that. Lastly, prune out the brown seed heads on the tips of the branches that formed after the crapemyrtle flowered. This again helps give the crapemyrtle a cleaner, formal look. 

Renewal pruning or cutting a plant back to the ground is sometimes a good idea.  If a crapemyrtle has been severely damaged, unhealthy, or pruned badly, renewal pruning will allow the plant to start all over.   A crapemyrtle that has been renewal pruned will rapidly grow back in about two to three years. Once the crapemyrtle has grown back, the plant can then be trained and properly prune to look even better.

Crapemyrtle varieties come in all shapes, colors, and sizes.  Pruning large ones into small ones doesn't make sense. If you want a small, manageable crapemyrtle, that looks like a shrub, buy a smaller variety.  Wacking off and scarring up large crapemyrtles each year serves no purpose. It's "Crape Murder."

For more information, contact the Tallapoosa County Extension Office at 256-825-1050.