Crape Myrtle suggestions

[UncleTrout]

hey everyone,

I picked up this crape Myrtle and would love some suggestions. I liked the nebari on it a lot and I like how it will flower, the bark is already peeling and looks rather nice.

I am currently thinking of trying to get it into a bonsai pot sooner rather than later so I can get my first tree in a proper pot. I am probably too late this season to do major pruning/root pruning so will wait till next season though.

I think it looks like it could be trimmed into an informal upright.. Or a multi trunk..

I am also curious on how to go about cleaning up nursery stock? I found a video of someone detailing how to do it on a juniper - trim off downward growth, clean up foliage in branch junctures, trim off excessively large branches that don’t fit in the design - is this kind of the same process for a deciduous tree?

 

[Jrmcmich]

Not sure how the root system will be but wondering if it might be best to reduce roots to a smaller grow container first and then wait a bit before going to bonsai pot? I have No experience with that type of tree so not sure how much root reduction can be done at once but others will probably give more accurate advice based on species and experience. I have gone opposite over last 3 years doing this where now I have nothing in a binsai pot trying to develop certain areas of trees or pure growth. Hoping maybe to get 1 in next year but ok if it takes longer.

 

[UncleTrout]

Not sure how the root system will be but wondering if it might be best to reduce roots to a smaller grow container first and then wait a bit before going to bonsai pot? I have No experience with that type of tree so not sure how much root reduction can be done at once but others will probably give more accurate advice based on species and experience. I have gone opposite over last 3 years doing this where now I have nothing in a binsai pot trying to develop certain areas of trees or pure growth. Hoping maybe to get 1 in next year but ok if it takes longer.

I definitely don’t want to rush it and harm the tree, so I am okay with taking a few seasons to work it into a proper pot.

I know they can handle major abuse on their limbs but also not sure about their roots. I spoke with someone at the nursery and this one was left over from last year - so it’s been in this pot for quite a while… I would imagine the roots are a mess!

 

[BrianBay9]

I definitely don’t want to rush it and harm the tree, so I am okay with taking a few seasons to work it into a proper pot.

I know they can handle major abuse on their limbs but also not sure about their roots. I spoke with someone at the nursery and this one was left over from last year - so it’s been in this pot for quite a while… I would imagine the roots are a mess!

My experience has been that they'll take almost anything you can throw at them, done in the right season. I would not hesitate to work the roots hard in spring on a healthy tree.

 

[UncleTrout]

My experience has been that they'll take almost anything you can throw at them, done in the right season. I would not hesitate to work the roots hard in spring on a healthy tree.

I appreciate the feedback! For major root work would you do it early spring before it starts budding out? I imagine I will have to sever some pretty large roots..

 

[Shibui]

Looks like there could be some nice bones in the tree you have selected.
Starting with broadleaf is very similar to starting with juniper - remove any branches that don't appear to fit into your plan, remove overly thick branches, remove smaller shoots from branch crotches (unless that branch is oversize and needs replacing), shorten overly long branches, remove down shoots.
The big difference is that we can chop branches and trunks back to no leaves and still expect to get new buds which will grow into new branches.

Major root work is Spring, before leaves open, for most broadleaf species. There's a few that are tough enough to cope with root pruning later but, if in doubt, usually safer to stick with before leaves.

Crepe myrtle can survive major root reduction so no real need to take a few years to get it into a smaller pot. Having said that, it's always safer to work more slowly if you have time and patience.

 

[UncleTrout]

Looks like there could be some nice bones in the tree you have selected.
Starting with broadleaf is very similar to starting with juniper - remove any branches that don't appear to fit into your plan, remove overly thick branches, remove smaller shoots from branch crotches (unless that branch is oversize and needs replacing), shorten overly long branches, remove down shoots.
The big difference is that we can chop branches and trunks back to no leaves and still expect to get new buds which will grow into new branches.

Major root work is Spring, before leaves open, for most broadleaf species. There's a few that are tough enough to cope with root pruning later but, if in doubt, usually safer to stick with before leaves.

Crepe myrtle can survive major root reduction so no real need to take a few years to get it into a smaller pot. Having said that, it's always safer to work more slowly if you have time and patience.

Thank you so much for the information - I greatly appreciate the knowledge!

A couple follow up questions if you don't mind. Do you think shortening any overly long branches right now would be worth while? Or because I'm going to wait for next spring to do any major pruning, would it be better to let it grow wild one more season? I certainly wouldn't mind the trunk getting thicker... I think I just answered my own question.

Second question would be regarding the tap root. I would like to give the tree the best chance to survive so am curious your thoughts on a 50% taproot removal next spring? Then a complete removal the following? I've never done (intentional) root removal.. I can also do more independent research on the subject!

EDIT TO ADD: I found they do not have a major taproot, so that's good news!

 

[Shibui]

In the end, no need to provide answers. You've found it all out already.

Before I read the edit I was going to ask how you know there's a major tap root. While we have this odd vision of what roots look like, very few trees actually develop the so called 'tap' root and even less plants raised in pots.
Crepe myrtle are very resilient to pruning both above and below ground level. You can remove any and all down growing roots and shorten any long roots. Up to 80% total root reduction in one operation will not worry your myrtle.
Pruning can be done any time of year. It is not necessary to wait until Spring. The only reasons we prune CM in winter is it is easier to see where to cut with no leaves in the way and because they flower on new shoots that grow in Spring so Spring/Summer pruning can remove potential flower buds. As bonsai these are usually pruned very early in Spring so new shoots can mature and flower and after flowering to re-establish the shape with maybe Winter prune to shape and reduce branches.

Leaving it to grow will help thicken though you may not get much increase in just 1 year.
Check for any clusters of shoots that might over thicken any sections of trunk. If you find places with several branches growing close together it would probably be good to remove some to minimise swelling and inverse taper.

 

[UncleTrout]

In the end, no need to provide answers. You've found it all out already.

Before I read the edit I was going to ask how you know there's a major tap root. While we have this odd vision of what roots look like, very few trees actually develop the so called 'tap' root and even less plants raised in pots.
Crepe myrtle are very resilient to pruning both above and below ground level. You can remove any and all down growing roots and shorten any long roots. Up to 80% total root reduction in one operation will not worry your myrtle.
Pruning can be done any time of year. It is not necessary to wait until Spring. The only reasons we prune CM in winter is it is easier to see where to cut with no leaves in the way and because they flower on new shoots that grow in Spring so Spring/Summer pruning can remove potential flower buds. As bonsai these are usually pruned very early in Spring so new shoots can mature and flower and after flowering to re-establish the shape with maybe Winter prune to shape and reduce branches.

Leaving it to grow will help thicken though you may not get much increase in just 1 year.
Check for any clusters of shoots that might over thicken any sections of trunk. If you find places with several branches growing close together it would probably be good to remove some to minimise swelling and inverse taper.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and the pointers on removing some branches from clusters. I’ll do that later today!