Q.I Murdered My Crape Myrtle. What Do I Do Now?
I have 3 year old crape myrtles that were cut back. They didn’t grow branches this year. Should I cut them below the knot now or wait until February? Since they haven’t grown, I’ve allowed the root suckers to grow all summer. Should I remove the suckers or leave them as insurance for next year in case the main branches don’t grow again. I live in Louisville, KY and we had a late freeze this Year.
In zone 6b, CMs are root hardy so you should plant them in Spring if possible, grow it as a shrub and only try selected CM varieties that the plant label says are winter hardy to z6. When you get hit with a very cold winter, the tree may die to the ground and regrow from the base in the Spring. If you scratch the bark to see if there is "green" but see none, that part of the tree/shrub can be cut off.
