It is said that the USA is a nation of immigrants. Here in Virginia one import is absolutely iconic. Brought here by French botanist Andre Michaux, the crepe myrtle was first introduced in the United States in 1790 in Charleston, South Carolina. Here in Central Virginia, we adore our crepe myrtles. They provide us an absolute assault of beautifully colored blooms every summer that is a real treat for the senses during the dog days of our warmest months. Crepe myrtles also provide a prolific harvest of edible seeds for our avian friends in the late winter/early spring that is unmatched in quantity during a time that can be very food scarce for our hollow boned fellows.
When Do I Prune Crepe Myrtles?
When Is The Best Time To Prune Crepe Myrtles: Between Valentines to St. Patrick’s Day
So, how do we best care for these valuable icons of southern landscapes? The answer to that question is incredibly nuanced and contingent upon several factors specific to your particular landscape plan, and just as important, your preferences. First, we address the optimal timing for your pruning service. Optimally, under ideal biological conditions, we prune your crepe myrtle in the late winter, before spring brings its new leaves. Generally, at Nunnally’s Tree Service, you’ll hear us refer to the “crepe window,” that we consider to be from Valentines to St. Patrick’s Day. Keep in mind, pruning to a certain degree outside of this window is perfectly acceptable. A short consultation will quickly determine how vital the timing of your pruning will be based on the goals and pruning specification for your tree.
What is The Proper Way to Prune a Crepe Myrtle?
Again, this is entirely dependent on the goals and landscape plan for your tree. Under ideal biological conditions and goals, we do no more than cut out dead and or crossing branches, clean out water sprouts, and clear away debris trapped in the primary trunk unions. For management plans where maximum blooms are desired, or a very tight tolerance for size accommodation is present, mild to severe crown reductions are appropriate. Keep in mind, with these crown reductions some sacrifice is made at the expense of some specimen longevity and hardiness. However, this is the most stressful management method for crepe myrtles and therefore any application outside of the crepe window increases the likelihood of adverse effects. The further outside the window the work is performed, the more likely or severe the effects become. Our guiding mission principle for pruning crepe myrtles is to prune as much as necessary, as little as possible.
Crepe Myrtle Bark Scale
What is crepe myrtle bark scale?
CMBS is a scale insect that attacks crepe myrtles and can spread to other ornamental shrubbery like spirea, beauty berry, and hypericum.
CMBS is not a terminal condition in the short term but the prolific accumulation of the resulting sooty mold rapidly causes the tree to become very biologically stressed and therefore drastically less resistant to other ailments. The sooty mold itself can be spread onto any nearby surface, including trees, dwellings, vehicles, etc. Luckily, CMBS is managed with good results by arborists like us who are trained to do so.
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