Why do some people chop crape myrtle trees off at about 6 feet high?

[raccoon]

I have to say I used to think you were supposed to because nearly everyone does in my area,
but at least one master gardener who writes a local newspaper column calls it "crape murder."


edited for clarity

[petronius]

1. Because that's about as high as the average person can reach?

We're not giants, you know...





(Seriously, I agree - they're beautiful trees and they should be left alone. We don't have them as much as I'd like here in this part of CA, and I miss seeing streets lined with them...)

[Callmecrazy]

2. It's called pollarding...

It is done to a lot of the mulberry trees in Las Vegas. Don't know why though.

[csziggy]

5. It's called crape murder!

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. I read the same gardener...

I will say, tho, that this year I am pruning my 2 year old trees down a bit..not drastically, but about 1/3 off,
because they are getting top heavy, and bowed down in bloom, the trunks are not strong enough to support the tops.
Apparently that strip of red clay dirt they are planted in, along the driveway, is pretty rich, cause they shot up like crazy in only 2 years.
Neighbor down the street has a couple of very mature trees, just glorious, and well proportioned, and they are not trimmed at all.
I think they are very mature and have grown correctly over the years, but does appear there was some pruning to keep the trunks and tops in balance, at one time.
Other folks around here do the drastic pruning, are quite firm in their belief this is ok.

[IrishAyes]

4. Murder in the first degree.

Twice a year I prune the trees, many of which followed me home from abandoned properties, sometimes in the dead of night during a rainstorm. But I do it carefully, with an eye to tree health and eventual 'natural' appearance. With my witch hazel saplings I'll often let the ground level trunk put out 3 little beginner branches and then twine them upwards together to form a suitably strong trunk. Oddly enough for the MidWest, especially for an older town, we've never taken a direct tornado hit. Topography probably explains how the twisters race down on us but veer off at the last second.

Anyway, we DO have severe straight-line winds, so any tree needs a very strong trunk as well as deep roots. I prune for that and a natural appearance, but I don't top off trees. It can kill them.

It nearly killed me, but I did have 2 mature trees taken down the first few years after buying the place. There was a magnificent oak with a rotting base (too boggy there) almost against the front of the house, ready to topple any day. And a giant maple that dropped a massive limb about 5 inches from the roof. I've tried to make up for it by planting many new trees in their stead. What used to be an awful 1/4 acre with 3 big trees now has 1 big one left in the back yard and almost 20 younger ones better placed than the originals. A great variety, too; myrtles, rose of sharon, linden, witch hazel, red bud and so forth. I love trees better than some people.

[orleans]

6. loved the way you put it:

"many of which followed me home from abandoned properties, sometimes in the dead of night during a rainstorm."

[elleng]

7. Dunno.

Never got one, tho I tried.

[Major Nikon]

8. They do it because crape myrtles produce larger blooms on new growth

I'm not of the opinion that there's anything particularly wrong with the practice, but I don't prune mine that way. I prune mine in much the same way I prune every other tree which is to selectively remove stalks and branches to thin out old, dead, and unproductive growth. I do this about every other year with mine. In this way I get large blooms on the new growth and plentiful smaller blooms on the old growth. It also retains the natural shape of the tree. I have a Natchez that is about 20' tall, still maturing and still blooms wonderfully. Crapes are fast growing, and you can prune them all the way to the ground if you want. With a good root structure they will come right back in one season.