Crape myrtle

So here is my crapr myrtle .Some of you have seen it in another post but now it gets a solo progression thread.When I first got it

nebari
deciding on a front

girth check

and now repotted the nebari is not all the way around the tree as you can see I mignt rotate the tree a little to the left to compensate or mabye approach graft later but I have plenty of time to think about that.

Was this a nursery purchase or had you been growing it? It looks like you have good potential.

Love the base and the movement in the lower trunk.

I'd remove all the lower branches, then chop about where in that first picture the trunk goes off the edge. These bud back so well that you will have lots to work with by the end of summer.

Cut the branches flush, then hollow out the cuts slightly.

Carolee this was a nursery purchase It cost me a whole 25 us.
Jim, that is exactly my plan but I was going to wait for 1 season to let the tree recover. the lower branches will be removed and re grown.

Well to my suprise patience had paid off in dividens with this little tree!! It has back budded in all the right places Next year I will reduce the top and see if I can get some more back budding on the leader, if not I will thread graft where I want to chop it.

Time for an update This tree is growing very well so well I may need to start some branches over already I have been trying to keep it in check but when it is time to flower there is no sti\oping this one .The large cut has about 1/4 " of healing all the way around .This is the first time I have seen it in bloom.After the first flush of blooms came and went I trimmed it back slightly now it has a second flush!!

I tink that main trunk above where the branches come off has to go. Let one of the other branches become the leader. Cut it flush, then a bit concave. I still love the base.

Thanks for the reply .I was planing to cut at the white line and see what backbudding I get. All of the branches that are growing straight up will be removed this fall after leaf drop. Most of them were new sprouts that I let grow free to help aid in healing the large cut at the rear.

I can only see this one angle, of course, but I think I'd cut on the red lines and let the branch (green arrow) be the new leader. And remember, as you have discovered, these things heal slowly. Any cut you want to disguise MUST be cut so it is concave and the new bark can kind of roll into it. That big cut will take a "while."





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That is a posibility, Let me put a few more pics around the tree for you to see.If I was to cut the trunk at the angle you have marked 2/3rds of the top of the tree would have a huge cut on it and would probibly take 20 years or so to heal over.If I keep the leader in the center and make that same angled cut you show down lower than the white line I can acheive a similar result and still have this tree healed over in 5-7 years.Here is the closest thing to a 360 photo shoot I can provide for this tree You have to agree the little bit of scar tissue i have gotten this year would probibly have taken 2 but proper fertilizing and watering acheive awesome results.

Hello Seth. I would go for picture 3 as regards the trunk line and movement. I would cut out the present leader and replace it with the highest of your new shoots.

I have also concidered that as a possibility aswell .However I like the curve that the trunk makes in pic 7 and 8 more than a slanting outline that pic 3 provides. I will revisit this tree again in fall and make my final decision.

I think the last pic with your hand in it is still the best option. You can always design the cut site into the tree. Here's L. i. 'acoma'. You can see the cop as a hollow. There is another example in my "bloomin' mini" thread.