How to trim your crape myrtles...

We have already established that it’s a GOOD thing to trim your crape myrtles. However, it’s only a good thing if you trim them the right way…and here is how to do just that.

First and foremost, always start at the bottom of the tree and work your way up to the canopy.
You can start by cutting the suckers that grow at the base of the tree as far back as you possibly can. You then want to clean up the main trunks by removing any limbs or growth to your desired height. This is typically 4-8' from the ground depending on the size and variety of the crape myrtle.
This will give you that nice, slick, strong base that you see in well trimmed crape myrtles.

Next you will move to the upper half of the tree and trim the canopies. This where you will spend most of your time.

There are two things you need to do with your crape myrtle canopies:
First, remove all twigs and limbs that are smaller than about 1/4 inch. Do this throughout the entire tree. This is probably the most time consuming part of trimming your crape myrtle, but do not skip it. These small twigs and limbs are considered weak growth, and provide little value. Removing them also helps thin the canopy, which allows for much needed air circulation.

Secondly, you want to thin the larger growth in the canopy of your crape myrtle. The goal here is to have a symmetrical canopy with limbs growing evenly in all directions around the tree. To start, thin out clumps of limbs growing in the same direction, limbs that criss cross through the canopy, or limbs that are rubbing up against one another. There are some pictures in the video to give you an idea of what the final product should look like.

When removing a limb, alway prune it flush with the trunk or branch it’s being removed from. This helps minimize new growth in these areas.

Lastly, don’t EVER trim your crapes down to a nub! There is an example of this in the video…that’s what we call crape murder!