General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy do some people chop off crape myrtle trees at about six
Feet? And they do this annually.
Phoenix61
(17,006 posts)Its because they dont know what they are doing. Theres a right way and a wrong way to trim a Crepe Myrtle and most folks do it the wrong way.
cynatnite
(31,011 posts)She loved them so much that we got three of them.
It irked her when she saw other people doing it wrong. I'm surprised she never walked over and instructed them how to do it.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)And we found out that they have to be done every year. All kinds of flora down here that I have zero experience with!
Phoenix61
(17,006 posts)customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)But, we let them get too out of hand. Our guy is a professional arborist, he also thinned out a lot of the trees at our place a few months ago. This morning, with the lashing wind, rain, and hail, we were glad that we had it done.
Phoenix61
(17,006 posts)need some serious shaping and thinning.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)to figure out what needs to be done. If I see other crepe myrtles blooming, and ours isn't, then I ask him some questions. They definitely do look less "wooly" than they did last year.
unc70
(6,114 posts)Crepe Myrtlecide
Really tall ones lined the road near the house where I grew up. They were 60-70 feet tall.
CottonBear
(21,596 posts)The mow, low and go landscape crews do it, so Joe Homeowner does too.
Dont get me started on Crape Murder. I am an urban tree specialist. I never specify Crape Myrtles for any installation.
MagickMuffin
(15,942 posts)Except a few years after planting several. One had stunned growth and we just trimmed a little from the bottom limbs. That did the trick and is the same size as the rest of them.
walkingman
(7,615 posts)place it is not necessary. I personally like the natural habit much better. Once you pollard the plant it is necessary every year. It does keep the plant at a specific height and size. We have some that are over 100 years old. Some of the original plant (in the middle) died and broke off but you can't tell it because the plants have sprouted around the base and it looks great. We have over 75 different plants of about 6 species around our place (Central Texas). They are one of the plants that can handle the drought and our hot climate year after year.
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)They get paid by the job and the faster they do the job the more jobs they can do. The company customers dont care because they want the work done the cheapest possible. Running a chainsaw over them is the fasted way. Wrong all the way around, but fast.
Everyone has seen it for years and assume it is the correct method. Just leave them be. They dont need pruning.
Wounded Bear
(58,654 posts)shanti
(21,675 posts)There are two in my backyard that were there when I bought my place. They were actual trees, not shrubs. Anyway, I don't like them as they are very messy, so I had a guy come in and cut them both to the ground. I thought they'd die. THEY DIDN'T DIE. They just came back up huge, as a shrub and they're still messy! They're blooming now, so too late to cut them back.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Generally, I don't like flowering plants that don't produce edible fruit.
Phoenix61
(17,006 posts)SMC22307
(8,090 posts)and vase-like architectural form is part of the appeal of crape myrtles!
Jersey Devil
(9,874 posts)The most I do is cut the suckers that come up at the bases. But it is not just crepe myrtles I see being hacked down by my neighbors, but lots of other kind of trees and shrubs. To me it seems just silly