Honest opinions on dwarf crape Myrtle

[Jluke33]

What’s everyone think? Posted this morning. I picked it up and thought it had character. Lots of crossing branches and not super healthy based on the amt of foliage. Would you all hard prune in late winter down to something manageable or keep most of it?

 

[sorce]

Kinda looks like the one is giving the other a reach around.
Is it 2 seperate plants?

I'd wait till it growing well in summer then hack it, reckon you have a better chance it budding in then.

Sorce

 

[Jluke33]

Kinda looks like the one is giving the other a reach around.
Is it 2 seperate plants?

I'd wait till it growing well in summer then hack it, reckon you have a better chance it budding in then.

Sorce

It’s one tree! Ill
See if I can get some
Better pics from the side

 

[Hack Yeah!]

I've got a similar one. My plan is to
1. heel it in for the winter
2. Chop the branches to approx the same height as the trunk, early mid March, I'll save the cuttings, hardwood cuttings take easily
3. Cut the rootball in half with a Sawzall
4. Bareroot the rest and find the best front for the nebari
5. Then shape the rest of the nebari and branches while potting it up
6. It'll leaf out late from the work, so not much further work next year

 

[Forsoothe!]

Lots of branches, but what's left needs to fit together. Maybe chop to about here, based upon a two-dimensional photo the exact length and choice of survivors subject to what's hidden...

I presume you bought it for the lower trunk's character and would want to save as much as possible within the limits of some fitting-in with their brothers better than others. Chop now, repot after 2nd ramification to major branches next summer.

 

[johng]

Chop now, repot after 2nd ramification to major branches next summer.

Absolutely terrible advice given by someone not considering your location. Do not chop now. Wait until mid to late spring next year. Otherwise you will most likely have significant die back. I’ve drastically pruned at least 100 dwarf crapes over the last decade. CM in general are almost semi- tropical and dwarf cultivars are even more sensitive to winter temps and wind.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I stand corrected.

 

[Jluke33]

Here’s some more angles. It does have a lot of crossing branches fairly low (I slip potted it into a basket bc someone said they are tough as nails in another post and I figured might was well.) thanks forsoothe for the photoshop image that’s very helpful visually! And thanks johng, I’ll probably wait on a chop. The other question is what to do with al these surface roots when the time comes

 

[sorce]

wise

Glad to know you're well sir!

Sorce

 

[BonjourBonsai]

Do not chop now. Wait until mid to late spring next year. Otherwise you will most likely have significant die back.

So I'm in 7b zone and I've got a CM that needs both repot and chop. I was only going to repot it this summer and shape / prune it next spring, but it's there a better option? Could I do both now?

 

[Jluke33]

I did mine roots an heavy pruning in late feb. you can compare this to the pics above. They are apparently quite tough, but i did follow the advice of this thread

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Looks like your almost ready to prune those top branches back!

 

[Jluke33]

Looks like your almost ready to prune those top branches back!

You think now is a good time? I’m eager to do the cuts mentioned but sknce my feb work was so drastic i didnt want to risk anything

 

[Hack Yeah!]

It looks like you did a good job on the initial reduction. I was referring to cutting back the new growth back to the first or second leaf set on the apical shoots. What more structurally were you hoping to do?

 

[Jluke33]

It looks like you did a good job on the initial reduction. I was referring to cutting back the new growth back to the first or second leaf set on the apical shoots. What more structurally were you hoping to do?

So I actually have two threads about this tree running (bc i have a terrible memory!) anyway, the suggestions by leatherback in this thread linked below are where I was thinking of taking it, but didn't want to cut back further since that thread was a week or so after the initial hard prune

Keep double trunk or cut one?

I’m not even sure if this dwarf crepe myrtle is going to make it! BUT if it does, would you eventually get rid of one of these trunks? I feel the left one has too little movement following all the way to the left, and the middle branch on the left feels like too uniform of an s curve. But I’m...

www.bonsainut.com

Also, I didn't think about it because all my other trees are in "trunk thickening" stages, but I suppose I should prune back the new growth to help with ramification now that the shoots are all about 2.5-4 inches (as of this morning)

 

[Hack Yeah!]

I do like @leatherback line in the other thread. The tree would likely be fine to make those cuts now. If you wait until March you could I probably stick those as cuttings.