“water shoot” growth from base of crepe myrtles

Question

I have several mature, large crepe myrtles that put up the shoots from the crown right under the surface of the ground. I’ve trimmed them off at ground level and have even dug down to try to cut out the root that they would be sprouting from. But, they keep coming back. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Answer 1

If the shoots are coming from under the ground, that probably means the crown or roots were slightly damaged at some point. The only way to deal with them is to just be persistent and keep cutting them off.