"The second year, it did not produce any new growth from the existing branches........Last Fall it looked pretty bad. All of the branches you see in this photo remained totally bare."

Bare branches all season generally mean dead branches. Can you confirm it is even still alive? If it is and the existing branches do not product any new growth again, then your only choice is to cut them back and the let one or more of the suckers take over. Or remove and replace.

It would also be helpful to know what cultivar it is. Not all crapes are inclined to grow or be trained into a tree-like form.

Much closer pictures needed for anybody here to be able to get anything out of them. And give specific answers that will be of use to you.

Hey GardenGal - thanks for the quick response.

Regarding if the branches are still alive, last year I gently scratched a few of the branches closer to the top and they were green right under the thin bark. Not sure if that's the best way to check however.

The tree was producing lots of new suckers late into the Fall last year, along with new growth very low on some existing branches. So I am quite sure it's still alive.

I don't know what cultivar it is. Not sure how I'd be able to determine that easily.

Get close to your tree and take pictures of the twigs and buds, if any. It's impossible to see any important details in these photos. But as GG said, if there were no leaves all year there's not much hope. What happens if you try to break off a twig? Does it snap easily and dryly or bend? If it snaps it's dead.

Thanks! To be clear, there was growth last season. The growth was from near the bottom of the branches - new small branches, and lots of suckers. So, I believe it to be quite alive. I will check for brittle branches.

I will attach a few more pictures, but with the deer netting up, it's hard to see a lot of detail. I'll also try to shoot down over the netting maybe that will help.

So far what it sounds like is that it froze back.

Thanks!

Just read-up a bit on "freezing back" on crepe myrtles. Very well-documented. One thing that resonated immediately is that if the temps go very low, and they can around here, that all the growth may be at the bottom of the tree - which is what I observed last year.

Need to do more reading...

Marginally hardy plants placed out in the open like that are likely to have more trouble than if they were given a sheltered position, against a warm sunny wall. (Or a shady wall, in the case of those kinds of broad-leaved evergreens that are liable to burn up when sun hits them while they are still frozen).

So, what's the recommended plan?

Do I watch to see if there's new growth at the middle or top of the existing trunks/branches?

What if there's only growth near the bottom of the existing trunks/branches?

Do I cut all of those trunks/branches off if there's no sign of new growth on them?

Is this the right time of year to attend to this type of pruning?

Lots of questions. Hope you folks don't mind!

Thanks for your help!

-bk

If a branch is dead it serves no purpose and and be cut off at any time. Just cut away anything which doesn't leaf out.

Wait until it sprouts later this spring and then cut off the dead sections above the sprouts. And if it keeps dying back down each winter then give up on it. Or try moving it to a sheltered, sunny nook if you have one. Do this latter at the end of winter, before the new shoots start to appear.

Great advice folks.

I'll follow it.

-bk

I think you're overly worried. In growing the tree form crape, it's not difficult to turn them from a lump of coal into a diamond, even if they've been neglected for a number of years. The first step is forming a vision of the finished product so you have something concrete to work toward. In that, I question if the 3 or 4-pronged tree is really the pinnacle of beauty that some seem to think. IMO, the best look is as a giant bouquet and having very few trunks for that looks sorely on the skimpy side. I would be shooting for 10-15 or so, uniformly arranged and splayed so that they are coming up and outward, for a much fuller look.

With slow growth, the first question to ask is if you've given the plant any fertilizer at the beginning of the season (as soon as they start to leaf out) and again about midway through. I've seen novices apply fertilizer all within a 3" circumference of the trunk.... where it would reach very few feeder roots and be just a waste. It needs to be applied in at least as big of a circle as the branch spread. After fertilizer, the next thing that will help stagnant growth is supplemental water. At least once per week if you don't get a good rain. These two things alone can make an incredible difference in a young plant's growth rate.

Regardless of the form your after, if you just mainly focus on growth -- even if it is in the wrong place -- the plant will ultimately do fine. I would stop cutting off suckers, as these are just developing and maintaining more little food factories (leaves). Suckers are also the source of potential future trunks. Later, after the plant is growing well, you can decide which ones to keep and which to get rid of. In many instances, I've come across neglected crapes that are just large scraggly bushes. I've found that the best solution is to cut them to the ground. With their already large root systems, they rebound quickly to nearly their original height, but the trunks are also generally automatically well arranged and well spaced. Around them are also a bunch of twiggy growth that can be removed at the end of summer. Once the remaining main trunks are limbed up, suddenly it's a handsome tree.

Wow Yardvaark - I really appreciate this insight. Thanks!

Well, I'm back! I got awesome advice a few months ago when I first posted about my Crepe Myrtle.

To summarize, this Crepe really seemed to die back over the winter. It's now coming back really well, but there seems to be branches that are not supporting any new growth. I'd like to create a tree with maybe 3-5 trunks. Given the growth shown in these photos, is there any pruning that I should do this time of year? I live in the Mid-Atlantic area.

Thanks in advance for your help!

-bjk

It is always safe to trim off dead wood, and for appearance sake you should do it. It is no more harmful to the tree than trimming your fingernails is to you.

The look the crape has is that it has suffered cold damage ... but that it lives in spite of it. If that's the case, it should still flower fine as soon as it grows out. BTW, this is the time of year to apply the first dose of fertilizer so do that if you haven't already done so. Distribute it in a 4' diameter circle for this size plant ... a handful or two of granular 10-10-10 or similar.

I wouldn't cut off any of the growing portion, including what's coming from the bottom. Those are all potential trunks, so more to choose from when eventually selecting the finished form. Again, I mention that I don't think 3 or 4 trunks makes a very substantial or commanding tree form as does somewhere between 10 - 15. To my thinking, a crape looks best as a giant bouquet and a 3 stem bouquet looks skimpy on the stems. If you grow that many and think it's too much, you can always cut off. But you can't wish for more to be added to a skimpy tree without doing a whole lot of waiting.

And all the growth the plant is producing is potential leaves, thus they'll produce more food for the roots, and therefore, more growth. Be patient. At the end of the summer, after everything has formed for the year and you can see what you have to work with, you can start cutting to create the trunk structure that appeals to you. You'll be able to see which are the strongest trunks, and where trunks are located. Then you can pick and choose the ones that appeal to you with your vision of the final form in mind.

Thanks again Yardvaark. I appreciate the sage advice and it gives me hope for this tree. I will fertilize it today, trim the dead/unproductive portions of the branches, and we'll see where it goes this Summer.

"... we'll see where it goes this Summer." Yes, show to us again at the end of summer.

Well, it's the end of Summer! My Crepe Myrtle has really taken off in the past few months. Until a few days ago, it had 2-3x more foliage than you can see below, before an apparent visit from the family of deer that lives on my property. I put Bobbex on it for the time being, and it'll be behind fencing sometime in the Fall. It previously had blossoms on most of the top branches.

Got another question, if I may...
I've noticed that my Crepe Myrtle grows new shoots from the bottom that sprout leaves, and new shoots that grow from existing branches, and those shoots grow leaves as well. Not much, or any leaves growing from existing branches. If the only branches that grow leaves are new sprouts, how do I prune it? I know there's a thing called "Crepe Murder", where owners just cut off everything above a point - doesn't sound like a good idea. I can only guess that these things are related.

Thanks in advance for your continued help with this tree!
-bk

All ideas are welcome!

Thanks Yardvaark.

I put fencing around the tree a little later in the season. Given the fact that I've already got some deer damage, I plan to put up the fencing soon. I'll use Bobbex until then.

I have many beautiful Crape Myrtles in my neighborhood, so I think I've got a shot with it. I am still not sure how to prune it for better growth next year. It did grow out considerably this Summer. I take that as a good sign.

The first picture (in your last set) sure looks to be something browsing on your tree.

The taller branch (that deer can't reach) is the best looking with flowers. :-)

Right! You should have seen this Crepe Myrtle a few weeks ago. It was teaming with buds/flowers.

Are there any good websites/references that you folks would suggest that will offer the best info on how to best prune this tree?