Crepe myrtle

[Tropicalgirl]

I acquired this crepe myrtle on the weekend, it has been in the pot for a bit too long and is quite root bound.
So far I have given it some fertiliser and cut it down a bit because it was seven feet tall with not a lot of leaves, I assume if I repot and tidy up its roots a bit it won't care they seem fairly hardy.
As for pruning Any suggestions would be appreciated,
Deanna

[kcpoole]

As CM have large flowers on the new growth, they need to be a larger tree to make use of them. I like a taller slender trunk on them so to this one
Cut Back to leave the final trunk line and tilt to the left about 15 deg. Cut back hard and fertilise well and le the top go mad to thicken up for a season or 2
Then cut the apex to be a lice length with respect to the other trunk sections and then grow the branches and canopy

Ken

[melbrackstone]

Kens suggestion looks pretty good to me!

Love crepe myrtle, and even though they're near impossible to wire and bend, you can get some very pretty trees with them!

Leaving it til it flowers is my biggest downfall.

Good luck!

[kcpoole]

Love crepe myrtle, and even though they're near impossible to wire and bend,

Good luck!

I find that is you wire Loosely before the new shoots harden off you can get decent bends and they then set really fast. Once they are lignified then forget wiring, they are soo brittle

Ken

[melbrackstone]

I find that is you wire Loosely before the new shoots harden off you can get decent bends and they then set really fast. Once they are lignified then forget wiring, they are soo brittle

agree wholeheartedly with this statement!

(plus I've learned to be a little more careful after doing a couple of Tony Bebb workshops.)

phew!

[Tropicalgirl]

Thanks for your suggestion and taking the time to illustrate on the photo Ken, it's much appreciated
Looking at this today and I kind of like the multiple trunk thing is has going, actually it has more trunk below the soil line so it is more of a low branching thing. Anyone think there is potential in that direction?

[shibui]

I looked at the multi trunk lines when I saw it but can't see any really good lines. Left trunk looks too thick and has little movement to compliment the others. May be possible to remove it and use that little tiny one below?
the bend in the smaller back trunk does echo the right trunk quite well but just a little too high unfortunately.

It is hard to properly judge from here TG because we can't see the full 3D movement. There may be an angle where the 3 trunks might work but I can't see it.
If you can see what you think is a nice tree in something then don't let convention stop you. Make your bonsai to please you.
It may appear to be easy to make a good multi trunk bonsai but the reality is that every extra trunk multiplies the possible problems and it is actually quite hard to get good multi trunk trees.

[Tropicalgirl]

Thanks Shibui, I think that outside branch will have to go regardless, I just tried to have a play with the little one and found the brittle Mel mentioned so that's out

[melbrackstone]

[Tropicalgirl]

Well here is what I have done, not exactly following instuctions but I figure I can take more off later if needed. Hoping to get some nice shoots on the straighter branch to get more movement into it, the rest really isn't as flat and boring as it looks in the photo so it seemed a shame to lose what had already grown.
Holy geez the roots were tough but I think it has plenty left its soaking in seasol at the moment before I put it in a pot

[RogerW]

I hope you kept the roots as Crepe Myrtle are very easy to propagate from root cuttings.