Crape Myrtles are beautiful blooming trees that give us vibrant color in the summer time, but many people prune them incorrectly. “Crape Murder” is when the entire canopy is removed from the tree.

I’m sure  you have seen this technique, it leaves bare trunks in the landscape. The thought behind this process is that blooms appear on new growth, so with more new growth you’ll have more blooms. However, in the picture below you can see that this is not entirely true.

The correct pruning method can be done in spring time before their growth season. You should do the following to your tree to promote blooms and canopy structure.

– Prune branches that are pencil thin
– Remove extra trunks or suckers and low branches
– Interior branches that are crossing one another or touching