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Crape Myrtle Sprouts After Severe Pruning: Restoration Steps

Q: My husband severely pruned our crape myrtles; now many shoots emerge near the trunks. What to do?
A: Severe pruning triggers dormant buds to sprout. To restore tree form, select a couple of the most vertical sprouts and remove the rest. Mow/clip root sprouts as they appear. In a few years, the tree will resume normal growth. Hopefully, future pruning decisions will be collaborative!

About Gardening: Maple Basal Sprouts: Mechanical Removal Best, Avoid Herbicides; Managing Basal Sprouts on Crape Myrtles: Pruning Mistakes and Solutions; Ginkgo Stump Sprouts: Why They're Unreliable and What to Do Instead; Growing Crape Myrtle From Seed: What to Expect; Epicormic Sprouts on Dogwood: Stress Response, Not Virus; Tree Trunk Rot from Mulch Volcanoes: Keep Mulch Off the Bark; Transplanting Crape Myrtle Root Sprouts Successfully; Transplanting Crapemyrtle Suckers: Distance Determines Viability; Protecting Crape Myrtles from Asian Ambrosia Beetles; Eliminating Crapemyrtle Root Sprouts After Tree Removal

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