Q.I Pruned My Crepe Myrtle Too Early
I pruned my Crepe Myrtle too early and now it isn’t producing leaves or blooms on one entire side. There are sprouts coming up from the trunk and on one side, but that’s it. Help! Thank you!
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
I don't think the problem is so much that you pruned too early, this would have simply made it so the tree would not flower. It sounds like disease got into the cuts from pruning after you pruned. This would stunt or even kill the branches.
First thing to do is to determine what is still alive on the tree. Live branches will be green and pliable, even if they do not have leaves. These can stay. Any branches that are dry, brown and brittle need to be removed. These are dead and will not come back.
After you have removed the dead branches, treat the tree with a fungicide. This will help to clear up the fungus that is hurting it.
The suckers at the base can also be removed. The tree will put up more of these when under stress, so it is not surprising that the tree has increased this kind of growth as it is sick.
