Timing is everything when it comes to pruning a crape myrtle. So when is it too late to prune crape myrtles if you want blooms in the summer? Along with not cutting off next year’s flowers, your pruning goals are to encourage strong new growth and maintain the tree’s natural shape. Here’s what you need to know about when to prune your crape myrtle to achieve these results.
1. Cut back crape myrtle in the late winter.
Crape myrtle blooms on new growth, so the best time to cut back these trees is in late winter, before new growth has sprouted. January through March is generally the best time to prune a crape myrtle, but the exact dates of this window of pruning opportunity can vary based on where you live.
In warmer growing zones where spring arrives early, you may need to cut back a crape myrtle by early February. Cutting back a crape myrtle in the late winter will encourage the plant to put its energy into growing flowers instead of branches.
Crape myrtles don’t need to be pruned every year. Trim off suckers and dead branches when you see them, but otherwise limit pruning to an as-needed basis.
2. Don’t prune in the spring.
Once spring has sprung, it’s officially too late to prune crape myrtles without cutting off this year’s flowers. If you prune in the spring and remove new growth, it won’t harm the health of the tree. But you will have fewer flowers or even no flowers, depending on how much you cut back. It’s OK to do a light trim in the spring; you’ll still get blooms on the branches you don’t cut off.
3. Don’t prune in summer or fall.
Pruning crape myrtles in summer or fall can stress the tree. It’s already dealing with heat and possibly drought, so don’t stress your tree further by pruning it. Crape myrtles won’t put on new growth in the heat of summer, or in the fall when they are recovering from the heat of summer. Pruning in the fall can also cause the tree to send out new growth at the wrong time of the year.
4. Go easy on the cuts.
Crape myrtles don’t need much pruning to stay healthy. Trimming these trees at the right time can improve their bloom production, but they’ll grow just fine without the intervention of you and your pruning shears. When you do prune, use a light touch.
Trim off any dead or dying branches or branches that have crossed one another. You want to open up the center of the tree so air and sunlight can reach it. Never cut off more than 25 percent of the tree in one pruning. Cutting back crape myrtles too much can not only delay flowering, but it can also stress the tree and make it susceptible to plant diseases.
5. Don’t cut the top off ever.
The time is never right to severely chop off your crape myrtle. This terrible practice has been dubbed “crape murder” because it can ruin your tree. You’ve probably seen these sad crape myrtles around, where well-intentioned but misguided people have turned the trees into arboreal amputees by whacking off the upper third or more of the canopy.
Not only does topping a crape myrtle turn it into an eyesore, but these brutal pruning cuts can cause disease and decay to set into the wood. Topping also stresses the tree to the max, making if more vulnerable to other issues like drought or insect pests.
