Freeze Damaged Bird of Paradise and Crepe Myrtle Pruning

January 21, 2010 - Posted by Jen

Jen

My bird of paradise leaves are brown with green stalks from the snow last year. Should I cut them back to stimulate new growth? If so how far?

Is it time to prune my crepe myrtles?

Paul H., Bellaire, Texas

 

Hi Paul,

You can do either two things with your bird of paradise:

1. Cut back your bird of paradise halfway and new shoots should start sprouting with the warm temperatures we are having. Just hope that we do not get another freeze this season.  If it  freezes again this season make sure you cover it well.  

2.  Or you can wait until late February to cut them back when their is no chance of a freeze.

 

Winter is the best and easiest time to prune crepe myrtles because the tree has no leaves and all the energy is in the roots.  It is also the best time to see their branching structure, and the best time to identify and remove limbs that are damaged or that are beginning to rub against one another. However, you can actually prune crape myrtles to remove unwanted branches and basal sprouts year ’round. 

We recommend not topping the crepe myrtle like  I saw today at my daughter’s elementary school.  :(  If you must to control the height it should be done every 7 years and fertilize with tree spikes when you do this.  Topping trees leaves large open wounds that can trigger problems and shorten the specimen’s life span. It results in fists or nubs from which multiple weak branches sprout in the spring. These are fast-growing, but they usually result in unnaturally long branches that are loosely attached and more susceptible to breakage

 

Please don't Murder

 

 

According to the Arbor Day Foundation, “The appearance of a properly pruned tree is like a good haircut: hardly noticeable at first glance.”
 

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3 Comments

  1. Daniela says:

    Thank you for the tips! This is very helpful, I was going to wait until the spring to prune, but I’ll get it done now!

    ... on July January 22nd, 2010
  2. Jen says:

    its coming around the corner if you know what i mean ;)

    ... on July January 24th, 2010
  3. Dorothy Trakshel says:

    We have a bird of paradise that is several years old and it has grown to about 5ft.
    Would like to know if it can be cut back, and how much should be cut without damaging it?
    We live in Florida, and the plant is in a sunny location facing east, so it does get the morning sun!
    Any other information you can give, will be greatly appreciated.
    Thank You

    ... on July March 9th, 2010

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