I love crepe myrtles too, and hate every time I see a yard that has one butchered down to the trunk! I like how you pruned yours....that’s exactly what I do to mine. I’ve never fertilized them though, except the occasional milo that flies into my beds when I do the grass, so I will have to look into that!
Sad that so many people cut them so far back to almost nothing, at least around here they do. It's nice to see that someone actually prunes them without ruining there appearance. Very informative video Pete.
Looks good Pete this is somewhat that I have been doing it's nice to have information or at least someone else to approve that.Keep videos come Thanks a million Pete!
Love the information! Can you believe that here in Southern Indiana, most crape myrtles are grown as shrubs, and that's what I always thought they were. The one in my grandmother's yard was always cut down to 3-4 inches every fall, and it didn't come out until May. Now, I have one that I maintain as a shrub, simply because its location doesn't lend itself to be a tree. But I have another one that I want to prune as a tree. It looks awful this year. It has some dead branches, suckers that are about four feet tall, and the tree itself is tall and slender. Not quite what I had in mind. I'll use your tips to start working on it! Thank you!
Great timing on this video. I've been using the sucker punch product on the base of my crepe myrtles since someone in the academy recommended it and it slows the growth of suckers dramatically.
I've always enjoyed looking at your crepe myrtles in your videos Pete. Looking forward to your video explaining why you went with the trees & shrubs that you chose for your placement in your lot!
Appreciate how you take care of crepe myrtle We have someone taking the whole branch you were talking about afraid now they will not bloom again it is end of May here in SC they need your knowledge Thank you
I do the same thing pruning most small to medium size ornamental trees. Clean out crossing branches and thin them out as high as I can reach. Then shape up sides and elevate the canopy. As far as I’m concerned I believe the more light and airflow through the tree the better
I live in South Georgia and I have two big crepes. Thank you for these tips. Your trees are beautiful! Mine have grown into umbrella shapes and are beautiful in the summer, but I want to trim mine without murdering them. I will try your methods. Thank you for these tips.
I wanted to shape my crape myrtles and a lot of what I've read said to wait until mid Feb or late winter. I'm in zone 8b in SC and after seeing your video, I feel confident that I could shape mine now (in late July) without harming them :) Thank you for posting your video!
Great video. I planted a couple of the reddish varieties a few years ago. I want to prune and shape them into a tree shape with an overhead canopy like you have. They already have numerous suckers shooting up from the base that I need to take out. Your landscaping is beautiful. Thanks again for the pruning and care tips.
Excellent video. I love that look plus it's a good way to keep a Natchez in check w/o having to butcher them as some do. I just planted one(5') on a small lot probably 10 feet from the corner of my garage. I went for the Natchez because of the reddish trunk and white blooms but knowing it can get big. Hopefully I can keep it in check w/o having to 'murder' it.
As far as I know all crepe myrtles lose bark, it's a beautiful feature of the species. So it's definitely not exclusive to Natchez. And white flowers are also not exclusive to Natchez, we have a variety called Fantasy and it has white flowers and I think there are others.
I have also found that it is best not to prune them the first year so as not to further stress the newly planted tree cluster. Let the root system take hold and expand. Pruning helps the tree grow stronger, thicker stocks to support itself.
I have 5 in my yard. One for each kid. When the trees were young I had a guy come in a prune them. (Crepe Murder) You can see the notches and stubs now. I wish I would have known better 10 years ago... Great Vid.
Great tip about the collar! I’ve grown up with this type of tree, in the winter It would look very unpleasant so we cut them back to a nub about 6 feet high year after year we would cut back at the same point and it would creat a ball by doing this in the spring it would send several shoots out of the balls and be a very maintained looking round top! When they bloomed after pruning them as we did they were very full of Color. 👍 great video!
I love how your crepe myrtles look. I just found out about crepe murder today. And I have been doing it for 5 years I had no idea 😢 I trim mine down about 6 inches every November. When they start blooming they look like a crazy bush with stems everywhere. How can I get mine looking like yours?? Please help
They are my favorite trees as of late. I bought a house with a mature southern magnolia....beautiful, but man the LEAVES!!!! I’m about to cut it and put a red rocket crape Myrtle in its place. I’m a fan of how you prune. I wish others knew the damage crape rape does to their trees. Nice video as always!
I'm in Florida, my tree is in its 2nd year. Its just finished blooming and I have tons of branches hanging very close to the ground. Can I trim those off or with it mess up the tree beings that it's June and very hot?
Those patio crepe myrtle are really cool. Might have to get one of those. When is the video on repairing your dry spots from when the sprinkler wasn on?
doing my best bro super busy right now. All I did was rake out the bad and throw some seed down. I used the garden weasel to work it in the ground. I am keeping it wet now
I enjoyed your video. I have two (2) single trunk crepe myrtles, you referred to as "Patio Style" just like the ones you have. My two have branches hanging down just like your two. I was waiting to see if you were going to prune those because I have not seen a video that addresses pruning single trunk crepe myrtles. But, you did not touch the "Patio Style" crepe myrtles. So, do you ever prune those and if so, how?
good video sir, very informative. I just acquired 2 Crepe Myrtles and I was looking for exactly what you just showed. Is there anything else I would need to know about how to care for a Crepe Myrtle?
I live in New Mexico and my crepe myrtle needs pruning so bad. Do you recommend me waiting until Feb. or is it ok to prune on Oct. as it has been a mild fall?
Help! My gardener chainsawed by crape myrtle multi trunks to about a 5 inch stubs. They were about 15 feet. Will they grow back??? Should I fertilize in the spring??
We live in Florida, moved in December and moved the tree to a new location by a professional. Here it is May 5, and still no sign of life, there is green under the bark, will it live?
I can’t seem to get mine to grow. They get full sun until about 3. It’s been 5yrs or more and they barely have leaves on them. A lot of dead small limbs.
I was just wondering if it is ok to prune Crape Myrtles in July!! My mom has been murdering hers for decades. Now that she is away. I would like to make it happy, like your beautiful CM's. But, looks like a huge wild bush. Didn't know it's a tree either. Thanks for the lesson.
Great video. I learned a lot. I have a question. I live in TX, about 2 weeks ago, I had 2 100 gallon Crepe Myrtles planted. They were watered after planting and I was instructed to watered them early in the morning the next day, which I did. For the next 5 days, I watered them early in the morning but all of the sudden, the leaves started to turn yellow and wilted. Some looked very dehydrated even though I was watering. I contacted the landscaping company immediately and informed them of the sudden change. The guy asked me to check the soil by the edge of the root ball, it was muddy at about 3"-4" so I was told that I was over watering it, to stop watering for about 5 days. That same night we had a huge storm, heavy rain for hours so I worried about what that much water was going to cause. I didn't watered for one day, on the second day, it rained a lot again. The trees were looking great. Yellow leaves were gone, top leaves looked shiny and hydrated but there was a huge problem with the soil. The dirt crumbled around the tree, exposing the root ball. Luckily, the rain had stopped. Early the next morning, the guy came to fix that and told me that they were doing well but to water only twice a week. I didn't watered for three days in a row like he instructed me and the leaves started to wilt, a good amount turned yellow and some of the flowers turned brown. That got me confused and thinking that they weren't being over watered to begin with, as they seemed to do really well after the two heavy rain that we had. I am thinking of watering well every other day. What do you recommend? I love those trees plus I don't want to lose my investment. Thanks in advance for your help. BTW I have pictures showing the state of the trees at planting, a week or so later (before and after the rain) and from today, looking dehydrated again and yellowing.
Great tips Pete. North Carolina loves Crepe Myrtles, especially my neighborhood here in Apex, NC. Just about everyone has at least 1 or 2. Any tips for controlling the height?
I have a crepe myrtle at the front corner of my house that the previous owners planted. They planted it way too close to the house so it is majorly lopsided from being trimmed away from the house. Would you suggest removing it and planting a new one further from the house, or letting it continue to grow as is?
Any tips for limiting the height on crepe myrtles? I have a semi-hedge of about 9 crepe myrtles...they're about 5 years old now, and I want to prevent them from growing up into a power line. The tallest is probably 7 to 8 feet. Thanks!
Thank you for the reply! I was thinking more along the lines of pruning to see if maybe topping them a bit might help a little. I sure don't want the power company yanking them out! :)
Pete this is helpful, but I planted a smaller one than yours and its a multi trunk. Do I trim off all but a few primary shoots to get it to grow taller or just let it grow on its own for a few years to get increased height? its currently only about 5 feet tall and more of an ornamental, but its out in my front yard and id let it to get taller. Any tips?
I hate Crepe “murder! Very nice trim!!! I love your front yard. Very pretty. Any fertilizers other than the one you mentioned in the video? I’m making a trip to Lowe’s this weekend and want to grab some manure and worm castings to refresh the soil. I’ve been reading up on mulching and they say keep the mulch away from tree trunk to allow main roots to breath and avoid tree girdling or roots growing into the mulch. Any thoughts on this? Thank you again for this video. New subscriber here.
I have 12 crepe myrtle's. They are beautiful trees when pruned correctly. However, they are the worst maintenance nightmare tree. They grow too fast, the berries are too heavy and will break off limbs when it rains. Even though I try very hard to keep the limbs trimmed. The sucker's around the trunk grow even faster. Berries make a mess all over my driveways and side walk. I will never plant another crepe myrtle. Crepe murder may be my next step. Very sad! 🤔🤔🤔🤔
Hi Pete, my crepe myrtle bloomed then in the past 3 weeks have lost all the blooms. Any ideas? Normal? It had white blooms and the bark has begun to shed.
I just moved into my house last year man my crepe myrtles drive me crazy, people before me planted them right up on the house. Can you move them or will they die?
Do you not prune crossing and rubbing branches also branches growing inward to center of the tree Normally the best time to prune crepe myrtles is during the winter when there is no foliage they bloom on new growth. The na in Natchez is pronounced like natural is
@@GCITurf I never pruned my large crepe myrtle. Is it too late to prune away large trunks from the base? Also I have a patio myrtle. Can the suckers at the base be transplanted to make new trees?
I got two on the side of my house, and when they were trying to sell it, they trimmed them to a foot off the ground. Now they have about 15-20 shoots each about 12ft tall coming off of the 3-5 trunks that was left... it looks rather bad
Best crepe myrtle video on RUclips mate 👌 thanking you from Australia 🇦🇺 I'm off to tidy up my girls just like you've taught me now 😀
I love it when it's open and uniformed. Looks very neat looking.
Very well done , looks neat and professional as does your whole property ! Thank you
Love your raised canopy look Pete. Fabulous property you have sir.
I love crepe myrtles too, and hate every time I see a yard that has one butchered down to the trunk! I like how you pruned yours....that’s exactly what I do to mine. I’ve never fertilized them though, except the occasional milo that flies into my beds when I do the grass, so I will have to look into that!
Sad that so many people cut them so far back to almost nothing, at least around here they do. It's nice to see that someone actually prunes them without ruining there appearance. Very informative video Pete.
Thank you for sharing this video! I truly appreciate your help and I love your lawn. Have a Blessed Day.
Those crate myrtles look great I have to trim mine back tomorrow about half that size but I use a lot of your tips thank you sir have a good day
Looks good Pete this is somewhat that I have been doing it's nice to have information or at least someone else to approve that.Keep videos come Thanks a million Pete!
Love the information! Can you believe that here in Southern Indiana, most crape myrtles are grown as shrubs, and that's what I always thought they were. The one in my grandmother's yard was always cut down to 3-4 inches every fall, and it didn't come out until May. Now, I have one that I maintain as a shrub, simply because its location doesn't lend itself to be a tree. But I have another one that I want to prune as a tree. It looks awful this year. It has some dead branches, suckers that are about four feet tall, and the tree itself is tall and slender. Not quite what I had in mind. I'll use your tips to start working on it! Thank you!
Great timing on this video. I've been using the sucker punch product on the base of my crepe myrtles since someone in the academy recommended it and it slows the growth of suckers dramatically.
I've always enjoyed looking at your crepe myrtles in your videos Pete. Looking forward to your video explaining why you went with the trees & shrubs that you chose for your placement in your lot!
thank you. I live in TN and trimmed mine up because it was drooping badly I fed it and hope it comes back full as well
Appreciate how you take care of crepe myrtle We have someone taking the whole branch you were talking about afraid now they will not bloom again it is end of May here in SC they need your knowledge Thank you
I do the same thing pruning most small to medium size ornamental trees. Clean out crossing branches and thin them out as high as I can reach. Then shape up sides and elevate the canopy. As far as I’m concerned I believe the more light and airflow through the tree the better
I live in South Georgia and I have two big crepes. Thank you for these tips. Your trees are beautiful! Mine have grown into umbrella shapes and are beautiful in the summer, but I want to trim mine without murdering them. I will try your methods. Thank you for these tips.
I’m glad I watched this. I just trimmed my 2-yr old heavily and was worried i might have killed it but now I have hope!!
By the way, your yard is gorgeous
Thank you for the advise and the video. I will prune mine this weekend.
Started my lawn care business 3 years ago, I really enjoy watching your videos. Very informative. Thank you.
My gardener chainsawed my crape myrtles down to about 5 inch stumps. Will they grow back? Should I fertilize in spring??
I wanted to shape my crape myrtles and a lot of what I've read said to wait until mid Feb or late winter. I'm in zone 8b in SC and after seeing your video, I feel confident that I could shape mine now (in late July) without harming them :) Thank you for posting your video!
I did one by accident in June and it actually looked better then the ones not pruned.
Tonto has a smooth bark as well .Smaller variety with pink fushia blooms about 10 to 11 ft tall.
Great video. I planted a couple of the reddish varieties a few years ago. I want to prune and shape them into a tree shape with an overhead canopy like you have. They already have numerous suckers shooting up from the base that I need to take out. Your landscaping is beautiful. Thanks again for the pruning and care tips.
I was just thinking about pruning me crepes. Perfect timing thanks Pete!
Excellent video. I love that look plus it's a good way to keep a Natchez in check w/o having to butcher them as some do. I just planted one(5') on a small lot probably 10 feet from the corner of my garage. I went for the Natchez because of the reddish trunk and white blooms but knowing it can get big. Hopefully I can keep it in check w/o having to 'murder' it.
As far as I know all crepe myrtles lose bark, it's a beautiful feature of the species. So it's definitely not exclusive to Natchez. And white flowers are also not exclusive to Natchez, we have a variety called Fantasy and it has white flowers and I think there are others.
Great tips on properly pruning a tree. I always see so many people in properly prune a tree which causes disease.
Do you recommend planting Hosta's around The Crepe Myrthe? Thanks in advance for your response. From a Crepe Myrthe Queen😂
I have also found that it is best not to prune them the first year so as not to further stress the newly planted tree cluster. Let the root system take hold and expand. Pruning helps the tree grow stronger, thicker stocks to support itself.
we prune our crepes very similar. glad to see others pruning without murdering the tree.
I have 5 in my yard. One for each kid. When the trees were young I had a guy come in a prune them. (Crepe Murder) You can see the notches and stubs now. I wish I would have known better 10 years ago... Great Vid.
I appreciate this video! Very helpful. I have 3 crepe myrtle and hope to get a couple more.
Great tip about the collar! I’ve grown up with this type of tree, in the winter It would look very unpleasant so we cut them back to a nub about 6 feet high year after year we would cut back at the same point and it would creat a ball by doing this in the spring it would send several shoots out of the balls and be a very maintained looking round top! When they bloomed after pruning them as we did they were very full of Color. 👍 great video!
I love how your crepe myrtles look. I just found out about crepe murder today. And I have been doing it for 5 years I had no idea 😢 I trim mine down about 6 inches every November. When they start blooming they look like a crazy bush with stems everywhere. How can I get mine looking like yours?? Please help
the trees are so pretty the long handled pruner is a pole pruner
Wow...😁 Absolutely beautiful.
Great video, with lots of info..
Thanks for sharing..
Mine is starting to bloom, its a bush, but it's so pretty..
They are my favorite trees as of late. I bought a house with a mature southern magnolia....beautiful, but man the LEAVES!!!! I’m about to cut it and put a red rocket crape Myrtle in its place. I’m a fan of how you prune. I wish others knew the damage crape rape does to their trees. Nice video as always!
I'm in Florida, my tree is in its 2nd year. Its just finished blooming and I have tons of branches hanging very close to the ground. Can I trim those off or with it mess up the tree beings that it's June and very hot?
Pete wbat you use on shrubs and plants around landscaping for disease Amd insects Amd when do you apply ?
I just started cleaning the suckered from my parents Crepe Myrtles
Those patio crepe myrtle are really cool. Might have to get one of those. When is the video on repairing your dry spots from when the sprinkler wasn on?
doing my best bro super busy right now. All I did was rake out the bad and throw some seed down. I used the garden weasel to work it in the ground. I am keeping it wet now
GCI Turf Services I'm just messing with you. Love your videos, have helped me so much. I didn't know you could get seed to grow with it being this hot
should I have a pretty strong irrigation system :)
I enjoyed your video. I have two (2) single trunk crepe myrtles, you referred to as "Patio Style" just like the ones you have. My two have branches hanging down just like your two. I was waiting to see if you were going to prune those because I have not seen a video that addresses pruning single trunk crepe myrtles. But, you did not touch the "Patio Style" crepe myrtles. So, do you ever prune those and if so, how?
mine has multiple trunks as yours, but mine only blooms one time a year and there fire red blooms.
I’d love for you to come over and do this to my tree.
What is the correct month in the summer to prune my trees they are little at this time 😉 they are 5ft tall
U have 14 oof them
Please advise thank you
good video sir, very informative. I just acquired 2 Crepe Myrtles and I was looking for exactly what you just showed. Is there anything else I would need to know about how to care for a Crepe Myrtle?
I live in New Mexico and my crepe myrtle needs pruning so bad. Do you recommend me waiting until Feb. or is it ok to prune on Oct. as it has been a mild fall?
Help! My gardener chainsawed by crape myrtle multi trunks to about a 5 inch stubs. They were about 15 feet. Will they grow back??? Should I fertilize in the spring??
We live in Florida, moved in December and moved the tree to a new location by a professional. Here it is May 5, and still no sign of life, there is green under the bark, will it live?
Pruner extension pole is nice. I need to get one. How far north can crape myrtles go?
I can’t seem to get mine to grow. They get full sun until about 3. It’s been 5yrs or more and they barely have leaves on them. A lot of dead small limbs.
I was just wondering if it is ok to prune Crape Myrtles in July!! My mom has been murdering hers for decades. Now that she is away. I would like to make it happy, like your beautiful CM's. But, looks like a huge wild bush. Didn't know it's a tree either. Thanks for the lesson.
i have a few nanchez.they are pretty
Great video. I learned a lot. I have a question. I live in TX, about 2 weeks ago, I had 2 100 gallon Crepe Myrtles planted. They were watered after planting and I was instructed to watered them early in the morning the next day, which I did. For the next 5 days, I watered them early in the morning but all of the sudden, the leaves started to turn yellow and wilted. Some looked very dehydrated even though I was watering. I contacted the landscaping company immediately and informed them of the sudden change. The guy asked me to check the soil by the edge of the root ball, it was muddy at about 3"-4" so I was told that I was over watering it, to stop watering for about 5 days. That same night we had a huge storm, heavy rain for hours so I worried about what that much water was going to cause. I didn't watered for one day, on the second day, it rained a lot again. The trees were looking great. Yellow leaves were gone, top leaves looked shiny and hydrated but there was a huge problem with the soil. The dirt crumbled around the tree, exposing the root ball. Luckily, the rain had stopped. Early the next morning, the guy came to fix that and told me that they were doing well but to water only twice a week. I didn't watered for three days in a row like he instructed me and the leaves started to wilt, a good amount turned yellow and some of the flowers turned brown. That got me confused and thinking that they weren't being over watered to begin with, as they seemed to do really well after the two heavy rain that we had. I am thinking of watering well every other day. What do you recommend? I love those trees plus I don't want to lose my investment. Thanks in advance for your help.
BTW I have pictures showing the state of the trees at planting, a week or so later (before and after the rain) and from today, looking dehydrated again and yellowing.
That had to be frustrating.
Great tips Pete. North Carolina loves Crepe Myrtles, especially my neighborhood here in Apex, NC. Just about everyone has at least 1 or 2.
Any tips for controlling the height?
I have a crepe myrtle at the front corner of my house that the previous owners planted. They planted it way too close to the house so it is majorly lopsided from being trimmed away from the house. Would you suggest removing it and planting a new one further from the house, or letting it continue to grow as is?
Any tips for limiting the height on crepe myrtles? I have a semi-hedge of about 9 crepe myrtles...they're about 5 years old now, and I want to prevent them from growing up into a power line. The tallest is probably 7 to 8 feet. Thanks!
Yikes!!! this is a VERY tough one. I do not have any tips but may you should research growth regulators for crepe myrtles???
Thank you for the reply! I was thinking more along the lines of pruning to see if maybe topping them a bit might help a little. I sure don't want the power company yanking them out! :)
Rough cut and stay on top of the shoots.
Pete this is helpful, but I planted a smaller one than yours and its a multi trunk. Do I trim off all but a few primary shoots to get it to grow taller or just let it grow on its own for a few years to get increased height? its currently only about 5 feet tall and more of an ornamental, but its out in my front yard and id let it to get taller. Any tips?
Pete, can newly-planted crepe myrtles be pruned? I just got mine from the nursery and planted them, but they could use some cleaning up.
i just love crepe myrtles but they dont sell them here in bc that i know of the peeling bark we have i have one a paper bark maple
if they get as big as your house or bigger, would you then consider cutting the height back at all? And did you compost the clippings?
I hate Crepe “murder! Very nice trim!!! I love your front yard. Very pretty.
Any fertilizers other than the one you mentioned in the video?
I’m making a trip to Lowe’s this weekend and want to grab some manure and worm castings to refresh the soil.
I’ve been reading up on mulching and they say keep the mulch away from tree trunk to allow main roots to breath and avoid tree girdling or roots growing into the mulch.
Any thoughts on this?
Thank you again for this video. New subscriber here.
JustKidding for sure don’t pile up the mulch around the base of any tree. That’s about the only fert I use in them. Thx for the sub!
Pete I planted 4 natchez cm yesterday, they are around 6 foot tall. Today they look wilted. Is this normal?
I have a miniature crepe in NYC and no blooms yet any reason I fertilizer in fall
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO PRUNE CRATE MYRTLE,S
love my japanese maple here in CT
I have 12 crepe myrtle's. They are beautiful trees when pruned correctly. However, they are the worst maintenance nightmare tree. They grow too fast, the berries are too heavy and will break off limbs when it rains. Even though I try very hard to keep the limbs trimmed. The sucker's around the trunk grow even faster. Berries make a mess all over my driveways and side walk. I will never plant another crepe myrtle. Crepe murder may be my next step. Very sad! 🤔🤔🤔🤔
So, it’s completely ok to prune them in the summer time?
Just found your channel.
Can you replant the baby suckers you cut off?
Man, the wind is ablowing.
Hi Pete, my crepe myrtle bloomed then in the past 3 weeks have lost all the blooms. Any ideas? Normal? It had white blooms and the bark has begun to shed.
Them blooms have a life span and then it re blooms at least mine do. I think different varieties bloom differently
What maples do you have
I just moved into my house last year man my crepe myrtles drive me crazy, people before me planted them right up on the house. Can you move them or will they die?
Zac Thompson, I have same question. Mine are too close from previous owner.
Anyone get any feedback. We have 2 right up against our house and I want to move them. Afraid it'd kill them though.
Same
Thank you for the video on proper crepe myrtle trimming/pruning!👍
Mine are braided.
Do you not prune crossing and rubbing branches also branches growing inward to center of the tree
Normally the best time to prune crepe myrtles is during the winter when there is no foliage they bloom on new growth. The na in Natchez is pronounced like natural is
I do cut crossing branches but do that in the winter. Can you not pick up on my STRONG southern accent??? LOL No telling what it sounds like LOL
@@GCITurf I never pruned my large crepe myrtle. Is it too late to prune away large trunks from the base? Also I have a patio myrtle. Can the suckers at the base be transplanted to make new trees?
I cant kill the ones at my house. One got cut down after Micheal and the damn thing grew back
I got two on the side of my house, and when they were trying to sell it, they trimmed them to a foot off the ground. Now they have about 15-20 shoots each about 12ft tall coming off of the 3-5 trunks that was left... it looks rather bad
It looks better the first before you took 3/4 of the tree is gone
camera can be a little tricky friend. The limbs were sagging way too much and needed to be cleaned up....again....personal preference here is all
That's cool i guess you had your reasons
I can't stand crape murder. Drives me mad to see "pro" landscapers doing it.