As you drive around Jacksonville, or anywhere in the Southeast, you’ve probably seen a pruning tactic known as “crape murder.” This pruning technique cuts a crape myrtle tree down to a height of about 4-5 feet tall. Essentially, you take a chainsaw, cut the tree down, and leave about 4 feet of bare trunk. The professional arboriculture term for this is “topping.” It is a destructive and harmful practice that is often used by inexperienced or unqualified landscape maintenance crews. Yes, this practice can kill your tree. In this article, we will explain the reasons why crape myrtles, or any tree, should not be topped. In addition, we will provide guidance on proper ways to prune a crape myrtle tree for maximum health of the tree.
The ironic part about crape myrtle trees is that when properly placed using right plant, right place principles, they are considered a low maintenance tree that requires little or no pruning at all.
If you would like professional guidance or recommendations, please feel free to reach out to us.
Professional Help
Due to safety reasons, we recommend that most prunings be completed by an ISA Certified Arborist in accordance with TCIA A300 Part 1 and ANSI Z133.1 Safety Standards. Tree care and pruning are extremely dangerous and result in thousands of injuries every year to homeowners and DIYers.
Depending upon your skill level, equipment, size of the trees, and level of comfort, you may be able to do some of these basic pruning techniques on smaller trees as long as safety and proper techniques are emphasized.
If you go with a local tree care company, ask them to provide a copy of their ISA Certified Arborist license. You can find arborists on the ISA website as well.
Why Do People Top Trees?
In our opinion, the primary reason this outdated and harmful practice continues is the mentality that “that is how it has always been done.” As people travel around cities and towns, they notice that crape myrtles keep getting topped every winter. Sadly, the practice just keeps continuing without ever being questioned.
So why do landscape maintenance crews keep doing it?
Because it is easy. It takes no skill or knowledge of tree biology or tree care. Unskilled labor can come onto a job site during the slow, winter months and chop down the tree. Easy money.
It comes down to reduced pruning time. During the dormant, winter months, landscape crews have the incentive to choose a method that has reduced pruning time. Topping takes the least amount of time. If you are getting paid to prune trees, you have the incentive to prune as many trees as possible in a single day. Topping maximizes productivity at the expense of the tree’s life.
Guess what? Next year, the tree needs to be pruned again because it has a weakened stem structure and excessive sprouting. Thus begins the vicious cycle of annual topping that can never be stopped until the tree ultimately dies.
The landscape maintenance crews get an easy recurring revenue stream during their slow, winter months.
Reasons to Avoid Topping
Weak limbs
The new sprouts that grow from the cut trunks are the tree’s desperate attempt at survival. Because this is an unnatural location for a new branch, the new sprout is weakly attached. As it grows, the weak attachment point becomes stressed as it grows large and heavy. If allowed to grow, these limbs often break off making a bad situation worse.
Insects and Diseases
When large limbs are cut off and topped, the tree cannot use its natural healing process that seals the wound. The location and large diameter prevent the tree’s natural chemical defense system from protecting the tree.
These limbs are vulnerable to insect invasion and spores from decay fungi. Furthermore, if decay fungi were already present, topping will speed up the decay process.
Rapid New Growth
Topping results in the tree producing numerous rapidly growing sprouts as it tries to quickly put out new leaves for survival. When the goal of topping was to control the height of the tree, topping can lead to a denser crown of the same height very quickly.
Starvation
Pruning should never remove more than 25% of a tree’s crown to protect the tree from starvation. Topping removes a large portion of the tree’s food-producing leaves and disrupts the crown-to-root ratio. This can create major problems for some trees.
Shock
The leaves and branches of a tree shield the bark, trunk, and surrounding plants from the sun’s harmful rays. If the tree is topped, the sensitive bark is suddenly exposed to the sun and can be scalded. This can impact the health and longevity of the tree.
Tree Death
Some trees do not have the ability to resprout quickly after topping. In that case, the reduced foliage can lead to death.
Ugliness
Topping creates a disfigured tree. It is unnatural. Trees should be appreciated for their natural form.
Cost
Topping may cost less in the short term since a worker and a saw can quickly remove the limbs and branches with a few cuts. However, there are hidden long-term costs such as tree replacement costs, liability from weakened limbs falling, and increased future maintenance.
Recommended Pruning for Crape Myrtles
As mentioned previously, crape myrtles require little or no pruning at all. When planted in full sun, crape myrtles form a beautiful round canopy. They have an interesting branch structure during winter time and colorful blooms during summer.
Pruning is usually triggered when crape myrtles need to be cut back to increase clearance for pedestrians or vehicles, or directed away from buildings. Of course, like any tree, pruning is always needed to remove any dead, broken, or diseased branches.
So what is the proper pruning technique for crape myrtles?
Routine crown cleaning
This includes regular pruning to remove dead, diseased, or rubbing branches or seed pods. This must be done using standard techniques outlined in TCIA A300 Part 1.
Tipping (Crown Reduction)
This is tip pruning or a crown reduction. The very ends of branches are cut. It’s also known as “pencil pruning” because it cuts stems that are about the size of a pencil. It gives the tree an attractive, rounded appearance. It’s worth noting that tipping is time-consuming and increases in time commitment as the tree grows larger.
Tipping can promote flowering if done during the growing season.
Pollarding
Pollarding involves cutting branches at a set location. Then every year, you remove all the sprouts at that same location. Over time, a large knob forms there. The result is a tree that remains the same size indefinitely. The key is to preserve the “pollard head” or knob to preserve the stored energy. This is a long-term maintenance commitment.
What if my crape myrtle has been topped?
Option 1 is to allow it to regrow naturally for several years. Fortunately, crape myrtle has vigorous regrowth. As long as the tree is fairly young, it may reach its original size within a few years.
Option 2 is to remove the tree and replace it with a tree better suited to the growing space. For larger, mature crape myrtles that have been topped, there may be very little hope for survival.
Closing Thoughts
If you are faced with whether or not to prune a crape myrtle tree, please consider allowing the tree to grow naturally. If you must prune, please use approved pruning practices, such as tipping or crown cleaning. Don’t top your trees and commit “crape murder!”