trimming crepe myrtle

Question

Should I trim shoots growing in abundance from the base of my crepe myrtle? I live in north central New Jersey where we have had two hard winters in a row. We planted our crepe myrtle in a sunny spot two years ago. It originally had three trunks. One died after the first winter and another died after this winter. The remaining trunk is doing nicely, is about 14 feet high and is starting to flower. At the base of each of the three trunks an abundance of suckers are growing. My hope is that one or two of the largest will survive the next winter and grow into additional trunks. What can I do to promote that? Should I prune the smaller suckers, prune them all to ensure the main trunk grows better, or just let it be?

Answer 1

Prune the suckers as soon as they appear. Use a sharp garden shear and even try to cut down below the surface of the soil.
If you leave a cut end above the surface it can invite insects and disease.

The tree sends up suckers if it’s not receiving enough sunlight. The suckers multiply to help the tree survive.
The need at least 6 good hours of sunshine.

Here is a link with care information.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/crepe-myrtle/crepe-myrtle-care.htm