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Fixing Knobbed Crape Myrtles: Cut Below Knobs, Select Two Vertical Sprouts

Cut just below knobs now. In April, select 2 vigorous vertical sprouts per stub, remove sideways ones. Let grow 2–3 ft, tip-prune to induce branching. Next Dec, prune back to ½–¾ inch diameter. Yields V-shaped, multi-trunk tree with annual light pruning.

Patience reshapes the tree.

About Gardening: Crape Myrtle Dropping New Limbs: "Crape Murder" Aftermath; Trimming 8-10 ft Cacti Growing Through Patio Screen: Need ID First; Deadheading and Pruning Roses in Louisiana: Keeping Shrubs and Climbers Blooming; Bradford Pear Sudden Summer Limb Drop in Oklahoma Heat; Crepe Myrtle Bloom Care: Pruning, Fertilizing, and Sucker Removal; Trimming Potato Vine: No Harm, Newer Varieties Less Aggressive; Post-Bloom Care for Outdoor Amaryllis; Managing an Overgrown Leyland Cypress; Dwarf Crape Myrtles for Planting Under Power Lines; Germander (Teucrium): Low Hedge or Knot Garden Edging

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