Thoughts on this Crepe Myrtle

[Hartinez]

***SPRING 2021 UPDATE- APRIL***

Hey all... so lots of new growth on my Crepe this spring! I took this pic about a week a go as new growth was really started pushing.

Wondering if I left that center branch a bit too long. Since the photo it has filled in nicely but I am hoping for some new growth below that "V".... nothing yet but perhaps still time?
Maybe it's too long anyway? Maybe now is a good time to cut to encourage some back budding lower on that leader?

Any thoughts on the two lower branches? Too low?

Lastly... due to life stuff I had no time to repot the CM in new substrate. Is it too late for root work?

Sorry for the remedial questions but as this is my first Myrtle, its a new beast for me to tame.

Thanks and hope everyone is having a great spring!

View attachment 368647

Lots of bar branching going on Aaron. I’d consider eliminating 1 side or the other of each of those bars. Or even cutting back really hard to encourage a whole new set of buds and growth.

 

[Hartinez]

 

[Hartinez]

I’m on my iPad and did a real quick sketch. Just a thought and i hope its ok i did this!

 

[Hartinez]

Oh also. I’m confident you could repot still Aaron. You just may need to remove what’s grown already. Check out some crape threads from @VAFisher . He’s pretty brutal on his and he gets fantastic results. Tough plants.

 

[AaronThomas]

@Hartinez
Danny... as always thank you for your response... ya always go above and beyond!
I like the idea of cutting back. I must of let the initial growth get a bit too long before I trimmed.
I love the sketch... exactly how I would like to see this progress.

 

[AaronThomas]

Here’s the tree a bit more leafed out today.
Geez... still blown away how fast these suckers grow.

 

[Hartinez]

Here’s the tree a bit more leafed out today.
Geez... still blown away how fast these suckers grow.
View attachment 369001

Its really just the bar branches id worry about at this point Aaron. Cut those off and just let everything else thicken! Chopping off reverse taper, only to regrow reverse taper would be so frustrating.

 

[AaronThomas]

***END OF SUMMER 2022 UPDATE***
Well… Early this spring I ended up taking the tree out of its nursery pot and doing a fairly aggressive root pruning. Perhaps a bit too aggressive as I remove approximately 75% of the root mass. I kept the tree in the shade for approximately six weeks then dappled sun for the next few months. By this time temperatures were reaching well into the hundreds. The tree seems to recover and push some growth… However what you see in the photo today are the only leave it has grown. It has however flowered a number of times. Definitely not seeing the explosive growth while it was in its nursery pot however I expected some slowing down with the amount of root work performed. As this is my first crêpe myrtle not sure exactly what to expect… Too much root pruning? Thoughts appreciate.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

You are letting the foliage extend too much. The fact that it is blooming indicates you haven't touched those branches for six months. If you let those branches grow too much more, you're going to end up with branches too thick for your final design.

I would go back in and cut off all branches to 2", leaving the apex just a little longer. We're still in early Sept, so you have at least three months of growing season left.

 

[Maiden69]

That's a huge pot for that trunk.

 

[Srt8madness]

That's a huge pot for that trunk.

Hahahahah I read that backwards at first (huge trunk for that pot) and was so confused for a second.

My guess is that's the pot it fit in after a 75% root reduction and would have needed to remove even more roots to go smaller.

 

[AaronThomas]

You are letting the foliage extend too much. The fact that it is blooming indicates you haven't touched those branches for six months. If you let those branches grow too much more, you're going to end up with branches too thick for your final design.

I would go back in and cut off all branches to 2", leaving the apex just a little longer. We're still in early Sept, so you have at least three months of growing season left.

Hi BN!
Thank you for your reply! Okay I will get too it... I wasn't sure if I should just let it be while the roots were growing out.
It was so leggy it seemed it was struggling.
As always your... your input is greatly appreciated!

 

[AaronThomas]

That's a huge pot for that trunk.

This tree is far from ready to be potted and I didn't have time to make another container. Lots of training to do and I actually think its too small!
@Srt8madness is correct... I would have needed to remove even more of the root mass to go smaller.

 

[AaronThomas]

I would go back in and cut off all branches to 2"

Oh wow... I just really looked at your touched up photo...
2" from the trunk for all branches... Really not to aggressive since there hasn't been much of a push for new growth? No growth due to not cutting back earlier?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Oh wow... I just really looked at your touched up photo...
2" from the trunk for all branches... Really not to aggressive since there hasn't been much of a push for new growth? No growth due to not cutting back earlier?

You want to go back close to the trunk and prune back to the point where you think (in a perfect world) you would want the branch to split. Then let new growth sprout, eliminating any buds that grow straight up or straight down, and reducing the number of branches at each cut to two. Then let those two branches run about 6" until they are relatively established, and cut them back to 2"... repeating the process over and over. You should have 1 branch - splitting into 2 branches - splitting into 4 branches - splitting into 8 branches, etc. That way you build up ramification and foliage density.

You should be able to build up a thick ball of ramification with less than half the distance of your current leggy growth. Once you have ramified growth that radiates from the trunk in more or less flat planes, it is always easy to go in and clean up the design, opening gaps in the foliage mass to give it interest and avoiding making it look like a topiary.

 

[Darth Masiah]

Really not too aggressive since there hasn't been much of a push for new growth?

seeing as it's flowering and looking at all those flower buds, I'd say the roots are happy. looks like a liitle die back from the repot, but that's done now. crepe usually backbuds and pushes new growth from pruned branches in late summer/fall. you could also chop all the branches in spring when buds start moving.

 

[AaronThomas]

@Bonsai Nut
Perfect! Thank for the detailed explanation... Sums it up very nicely. Lots of work ahead... bummed I wasted most of the season.
I cut the CM back this afternoon... I ended up cutting back the branches on the left side of the picture a bit more since the photo was taken.
We'll see where this takes us in a few weeks.
Thanks!

 

[AaronThomas]

seeing as it's flowering and looking at all those flower buds, I'd say the roots are happy. looks like a liitle die back from the repot, but that's done now. crepe usually backbuds and pushes new growth from pruned branches in late summer/fall. you could also chop all the branches in spring when buds start moving.

Thank you Darth!

 

[crab apple]

You want to go back close to the trunk and prune back to the point where you think (in a perfect world) you would want the branch to split. Then let new growth sprout, eliminating any buds that grow straight up or straight down, and reducing the number of branches at each cut to two. Then let those two branches run about 6" until they are relatively established, and cut them back to 2"... repeating the process over and over. You should have 1 branch - splitting into 2 branches - splitting into 4 branches - splitting into 8 branches, etc. That way you build up ramification and foliage density.

You should be able to build up a thick ball of ramification with less than half the distance of your current leggy growth. Once you have ramified growth that radiates from the trunk in more or less flat planes, it is always easy to go in and clean up the design, opening gaps in the foliage mass to give it interest and avoiding making it look like a topiary.

This whole tread has been a wealth of info for a beginner like me, thanks for explaining everything in such detail BN

 

[WavyGaby]

@Bonsai Nut
Perfect! Thank for the detailed explanation... Sums it up very nicely. Lots of work ahead... bummed I wasted most of the season.
I cut the CM back this afternoon... I ended up cutting back the branches on the left side of the picture a bit more since the photo was taken.
We'll see where this takes us in a few weeks.
Thanks!

View attachment 454837

Looks good! I am thinking the top left branch should come off and the top right branch should be cut back after new buds pop. Top right might need to go too if you think it will cause taper issues.