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#1
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Crape Myrtle
Are the previous year flower heads supposed to be cut off and when? Thanks
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#2
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Crape Myrtle
On Thu, 25 Mar 2004 17:45:27 -0500, "Jeff & Kathy Brown"
opined: Are the previous year flower heads supposed to be cut off and when? Thanks You can, I don't do any pruning or deadheading other than to remove any crossing branches or branches growing in toward the center and I have as many blossoms as my neighbor who murders his. |
#3
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Crape Myrtle
On Thu, 25 Mar 2004 17:45:27 -0500, "Jeff & Kathy Brown"
wrote: Are the previous year flower heads supposed to be cut off and when? From: http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1009.htm "Pruning in late winter or early spring will stimulate vigorous new growth in the spring. Encourage a second bloom in summer by pruning flowers immediately after they fade." I don't prune mine because they're 30-40' tall. They bloom quite respectably. Light pruning is fine, particularly to control crossing limbs. Please don't commit Crape Murder -- 'pollarding' -- to produce a lot of new growth on ugly stumps. |
#4
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Crape Myrtle
"Frogleg" wrote in message ... On Thu, 25 Mar 2004 17:45:27 -0500, "Jeff & Kathy Brown" wrote: Are the previous year flower heads supposed to be cut off and when? From: http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1009.htm "Pruning in late winter or early spring will stimulate vigorous new growth in the spring. Encourage a second bloom in summer by pruning flowers immediately after they fade." I don't prune mine because they're 30-40' tall. They bloom quite respectably. Light pruning is fine, particularly to control crossing limbs. Please don't commit Crape Murder -- 'pollarding' -- to produce a lot of new growth on ugly stumps. I have a Crepe Myrtle in my yard with about a dozen stems. I was advised by my local garden center to trim back to an odd number (3 or 5). I certainly hope that I don't end up with a lot of new shoots. My goal is to develop it into a tree-like shrub. Being a transplanted New Englander to Virginia, I'm learning about a lot of new flora. A big hearty thanks to all of you regulars who post frequently. |
#5
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Crape Myrtle
"Frogleg" wrote in message ... On Thu, 25 Mar 2004 17:45:27 -0500, "Jeff & Kathy Brown" wrote: Are the previous year flower heads supposed to be cut off and when? From: http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1009.htm "Pruning in late winter or early spring will stimulate vigorous new growth in the spring. Encourage a second bloom in summer by pruning flowers immediately after they fade." I don't prune mine because they're 30-40' tall. They bloom quite respectably. Light pruning is fine, particularly to control crossing limbs. Please don't commit Crape Murder -- 'pollarding' -- to produce a lot of new growth on ugly stumps. I have a Crepe Myrtle in my yard with about a dozen stems. I was advised by my local garden center to trim back to an odd number (3 or 5). I certainly hope that I don't end up with a lot of new shoots. My goal is to develop it into a tree-like shrub. Being a transplanted New Englander to Virginia, I'm learning about a lot of new flora. A big hearty thanks to all of you regulars who post frequently. |
#6
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Crape Myrtle
On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 10:53:08 -0500, "LFR" wrote:
"Frogleg" wrote On Thu, 25 Mar 2004 17:45:27 -0500, "Jeff & Kathy Brown" wrote: Are the previous year flower heads supposed to be cut off and when? From: http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1009.htm "Pruning in late winter or early spring will stimulate vigorous new growth in the spring. Encourage a second bloom in summer by pruning flowers immediately after they fade." I have a Crepe Myrtle in my yard with about a dozen stems. I was advised by my local garden center to trim back to an odd number (3 or 5). I certainly hope that I don't end up with a lot of new shoots. My goal is to develop it into a tree-like shrub. Being a transplanted New Englander to Virginia, I'm learning about a lot of new flora. Your garden center is correct, although I'm not certain of the magic of an odd number. :-) My biggest tree has a single trunk that branches at about 4'; another has 4 smaller 'main' stems. (in SE Virginia). Crape Myrtles are famous for 'suckers' -- little shoots that start at ground level or start branching from the trunk(s). It's simple to just clip these off as they appear. |
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