Crape Myrtle: pruned vs untouched
 

I pruned my Crape Myrtles.
I noticed that Crape Myrtles in my neighborhood that were not pruned
flower earlier, more, and better than those that were pruned.
Does pruning really help?
Does pruning have anything to do with flowering at all?
I am thinking about not touching them next year.

Crape Myrtle: pruned vs untouched
 

In article ,
"Jay Casey" wrote:

I pruned my Crape Myrtles.
I noticed that Crape Myrtles in my neighborhood that were not pruned
flower earlier, more, and better than those that were pruned.
Does pruning really help?
Does pruning have anything to do with flowering at all?
I am thinking about not touching them next year.



It's Crepe Myrtle, and as far as I've seen, branch pruning seems to have
nothing to do with flowering, but it has everything in the world to do
with shape and size. :-) Pod pruning OTHO:

http://www.kathyrmiller.com/crepemyrtle.htm

The way it's pruned determines if you want a tree or a bush......
and dead heading makes more flowers. Same goes for my Canna's.

K. (who is slowly trying for a crepe myrtle tree)

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Crape Myrtle: pruned vs untouched
 

Jay Casey wrote:
I noticed that Crape Myrtles in my neighborhood that were not pruned
flower earlier, more, and better than those that were pruned.

My next-door neighbor has crepe myrtles that are 30 ft tall and they
bloom like crazy all summer long.

Does pruning really help?

If done correctly, probably.

Does pruning have anything to do with flowering at all?
I am thinking about not touching them next year.

You can do very light prunning, mainly to help with the shape. Topping
off crepe myrtles is just wrong. Say no to crepe murder! :)

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Crape Myrtle: pruned vs untouched
 

"Jay Casey" wrote in message
...
I pruned my Crape Myrtles.
I noticed that Crape Myrtles in my neighborhood that were not pruned
flower earlier, more, and better than those that were pruned.
Does pruning really help?
Does pruning have anything to do with flowering at all?
I am thinking about not touching them next year.

When a Crepe Myrtle starts to bloom has more to do with its variety. Some
varieties start blooming in May while others don't start until late July. I
have some Crepes in my yard that are blooming profusely and some that
haven't even started yet. I planed this strategically when I chose my
varieties so that I would have color from spring until fall. Crepes
typically bloom for 3 months or so. So the ones that start earlier will
also finish earlier. However some varieties only bloom for about 70 days
while others may bloom for 120 days. I have a Natchez (white) and a couple
of Muskogees (lavender) which bloom for about 4 months.

Crepe Myrtles, like most flowering perennials, only bloom on new growth.
What I do, is I keep mine to 4-5 trunks and I prune out all diseased and/or
dead wood early in the spring. I also prune out all the leaves to a few
feet up for appearances. Topping a Crepe is not recommended. Fertilize in
the early spring with a fertilizer that is appropriate for flowing
perennials and your soil type. If you dead head old blooms, you will get
more repeats faster.

Crape Myrtle: pruned vs untouched
 

On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 03:49:25 -0500, Katra
wrote:

In article ,
"Jay Casey" wrote:

I pruned my Crape Myrtles.
I noticed that Crape Myrtles in my neighborhood that were not pruned

It's Crepe Myrtle, and as far as I've seen, branch pruning seems to have
nothing to do with flowering, but it has everything in the world to do
with shape and size. :-) Pod pruning OTHO:


"Crape" is an acceptable spelling.

Crape Myrtle: pruned vs untouched
 

"Texas Twang" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 03:49:25 -0500, Katra
wrote:

In article ,
"Jay Casey" wrote:

I pruned my Crape Myrtles.
I noticed that Crape Myrtles in my neighborhood that were not pruned

It's Crepe Myrtle, and as far as I've seen, branch pruning seems to have
nothing to do with flowering, but it has everything in the world to do
with shape and size. :-) Pod pruning OTHO:


"Crape" is an acceptable spelling.

You are correct. Crape Myrtle or Crepe Myrtle are both commonly used.

The actual correct spelling is Lagerstroemia.

Crape Myrtle: pruned vs untouched
 

In article ,
Texas Twang wrote:

On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 03:49:25 -0500, Katra
wrote:

In article ,
"Jay Casey" wrote:

I pruned my Crape Myrtles.
I noticed that Crape Myrtles in my neighborhood that were not pruned

It's Crepe Myrtle, and as far as I've seen, branch pruning seems to have
nothing to do with flowering, but it has everything in the world to do
with shape and size. :-) Pod pruning OTHO:


"Crape" is an acceptable spelling.

Google corrected the spelling. ;-) I checked before posting.

I've never, ever seen that spelling (Crape) at the nurseries.

Sorry.

K.

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Crape Myrtle: pruned vs untouched
 

On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 12:48:29 -0500, Katra
wrote:


"Crape" is an acceptable spelling.

Google corrected the spelling. ;-) I checked before posting.

I've never, ever seen that spelling (Crape) at the nurseries.

Sorry.

No need to apologize. This is Usenet. Insults fly like confetti after
a Chicago Cubs pennant win.

Just for curiosity I tried both spellings in Google. Crape seemed to
produce more and better results. But both produced many hits.



Elliot Richmond
Freelance Science Writer and Editor

Crape Myrtle: pruned vs untouched
 

Who cares crepe or crape..
now.. who's up for some crappy fishing?
lucy :)

"RoyDMercer" wrote in message
...
"Jay Casey" wrote in message
...
I pruned my Crape Myrtles.
I noticed that Crape Myrtles in my neighborhood that were not pruned
flower earlier, more, and better than those that were pruned.
Does pruning really help?
Does pruning have anything to do with flowering at all?
I am thinking about not touching them next year.

When a Crepe Myrtle starts to bloom has more to do with its variety. Some
varieties start blooming in May while others don't start until late July.
I
have some Crepes in my yard that are blooming profusely and some that
haven't even started yet. I planed this strategically when I chose my
varieties so that I would have color from spring until fall. Crepes
typically bloom for 3 months or so. So the ones that start earlier will
also finish earlier. However some varieties only bloom for about 70 days
while others may bloom for 120 days. I have a Natchez (white) and a
couple
of Muskogees (lavender) which bloom for about 4 months.

Crepe Myrtles, like most flowering perennials, only bloom on new growth.
What I do, is I keep mine to 4-5 trunks and I prune out all diseased
and/or
dead wood early in the spring. I also prune out all the leaves to a few
feet up for appearances. Topping a Crepe is not recommended. Fertilize
in
the early spring with a fertilizer that is appropriate for flowing
perennials and your soil type. If you dead head old blooms, you will get
more repeats faster.

Crape Myrtle: pruned vs untouched
 

"lucy" wrote in message
m...
Who cares crepe or crape..
now.. who's up for some crappy fishing?
lucy :)

I've got crappy fishing down. I'd actually like to catch some one of these
days.

Crape Myrtle: pruned vs untouched
 

In article ,
"RoyDMercer" wrote:

"lucy" wrote in message
m...
Who cares crepe or crape..
now.. who's up for some crappy fishing?
lucy :)

I've got crappy fishing down. I'd actually like to catch some one of these
days.



Try a spear gun. ;-)

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