Crapemyrtle – No New Growth

Q: We have twenty-five crapemyrtles our property. We cut them back severely last November. Now they have no new growth at all, except some stems at the base.

A: I think the cause lies with the November pruning. It is well-known that pruning woody plants before cold weather initiates dormancy will make them susceptible to cold injury. Basically, fall pruning causes them to enter a juvenile growth phase as they try to sprout new shoots to replace those which were cut off. When cold weather hits, the sap in the trunk of the plant freezes, leading to death in the limbs above. If no growth is seen on the trunk of a crapemyrtle by June, you can remove the lifeless portion. Select one of the base sprouts to train to become a new trunk.