Professional Pruning Solutions
We will never TOP a Crape Myrtle commonly known as “Crape Murder.” (so please don’t ask us to)
Just the facts…
The thinking that Crape Myrtles should be pruned back heavily or they won’t bloom, is a total myth. This bad pruning practice actually does severe damage to the tree.
Our Pruning services explained
Put simply; tree pruning involves the prudent and careful extraction of branches, and other plant growths. Eliminating overgrowth and unhealthy parts can do quite a bit of good for the entire tree. If you are searching for an affordable and professional pruning service that can enhance and restore your tree’s health, you can count on our team to deliver the desired results.
Tree pruning is a smart move for an array of reasons. This service will help to keep your trees healthy and help achieve optimal wellness. Pruning will also reduce the likelihood of an accident related to falling branches or another tree-related cause from occurring. Removing excess growth helps to increase sunlight to nearby plants, and makes the trees appear more aesthetically appealing. Regardless of the age of your tree or the species, you can count on our team to deliver the quality, professional, and safe results you want and need.
With professional pruning, you no longer have to wonder how to get your trees to grow, how to take charge of growth patterns, or how to keep your tree branches controlled and in order. If you want to keep your property safe, you should prioritize tree pruning services. Proper tree and shrub maintenance will help prevent issues and danger to people, pets, and property.
Crape Murder
Crape murder refers to the all-too-common practice of cutting off the tops of the trees. This type of pruning know as hat-racking or heading and severely impacts the appearance of this beautiful tree. This severe pruning reduces its leaf-producing surfaces. Plants need leaves to produce food, so these plants are forced to use precious stored food to develop an entirely new canopy every summer. This misunderstood practice of topping can damage the trees and could reduce their life expectancy.
Please Don’t Murder your Crapes! Call us for selective hand pruning to maintain the beauty and shape.
Cutting it back to thick stubs each year destroys it structure and form. The graceful, free flowing tree quickly becomes a fencepost or hat rack. The pretty bark never appears and each beheaded trunk grows a Medusa-like tangle of spindly whips too weak to hold up flowers.
Once this pollarding practice has begun, it will take several years, if ever, to get this once beautiful tree back to “normal.”
The only pruning crape myrtles require is the thinning on young trees leaving somewhere around 3 to 5 permanents trunks. In the early spring, remove any new suckers that may appear. As the tree matures, removing crossing or rubbing branches will promote a more defined and healthier tree.
Objectives of Pruning Crape Myrtles
Crape Myrtles bloom on the current season’s growth in mid-Summer, so pruning can be completed in late Fall to early Spring and still flower normally throughout the summer.
If the Crape Myrtle was correctly planted for its size and shape, it will grow naturally with only minor pruning required.
The objectives of pruning a crape myrtle are to maintain its natural sculptural form, produce strong branches that hold flowers upright, and open in its center to reveal the smooth, multi-toned bark that forms on mature trunks and branches.