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Pruning Crape Myrtle, Chinese Pistache and Redbud in El Dorado Hills

Got a pretty tree in El Dorado Hills that's gotten out of hand? Call us now at (530) 255-2773. We'll find a local tree trimming company that knows landscape trees, and we'll book a time to come by.

These are the trees people plant for color. Fall leaves, summer flowers, spring blooms. Each one has its own pruning habits, and a wrong move costs you the show.

Crape myrtle: bloom on new wood

A Virginia Tech Extension guide explains it well. Crape myrtles bloom on the current season's stems. So the right time to prune is late winter or early spring, just before new growth. Don't prune in late summer or early fall. The new shoots can freeze if they haven't gone fully dormant.

The guide's big warning is about topping. That's when someone chops every stem back to a stub, which people call "crape murder." The guide says topping makes lots of fast shoots that are poorly attached. The big flower on each shoot is top heavy. In a strong wind, it snaps off. Topping can also lead to stem decay and even death of the plant.

It also cuts bloom days, since each shoot makes one cluster instead of many. And the soft shoots draw aphids.

What to do instead? The guide says to remove dead, broken, crossing and rubbing branches, and to let the natural shape show. A well-trained crape myrtle won't need pruning every year. If suckers pop up from the base, rub them off while they're soft.

Already topped? The guide says you can partly fix it. Keep two or three of the strongest shoots at each knuckle, and cut the rest. It will never look natural again, but it gets better.

One more thing from that guide. Skip the fertilizer unless a soil test says you need it. Too much feed makes suckers and fewer flowers.

White powder on the leaves? That's powdery mildew. UC IPM says it can be serious on crape myrtle, and that it hits new growth. Too much nitrogen makes it worse, and so does shade. Look for resistant varieties when you replant.

Chinese pistache: big, tough and colorful

UC IPM describes the Chinese pistache as a deciduous tree with a moderate growth rate, up to 50 to 60 feet tall. It likes full sun. Some varieties are known for strong fall color.

It also handles odd water. UC IPM says it takes lawn irrigation, and it can live on very little water in deep soils. And it resists oak root fungus, which matters in a town full of oaks.

That size is the surprise. People plant one as a small yard tree, then twenty years later it is over the fence line. Plan for the height. Don't plant one under power lines.

For pruning, general tree rules apply. The arborist brochure says most routine cuts to remove weak or dead limbs can happen any time, with growth and wound closure best if you cut before the spring flush. Avoid heavy cuts of live wood right after that flush. Never top it.

Western redbud: go easy

Western redbud is a native. The Cameron Park page on Wikipedia notes an abundance of redbud in the foothill brush near us. The USDA calls it drought tolerant and sun-loving, and it grows below about 4,000 feet. It flowers from February through April, with magenta sprays on bare twigs. Any one shrub stays in flower for only about two weeks.

Because the flowers open before the leaves, a heavy winter cut takes away the blooms. UC Master Gardeners in Tulare and Kings Counties suggest a light touch. They say to thin out the oldest trunk each year to keep a redbud in good shape.

Water is where redbuds die. The USDA fact sheet says to give young plants summer water for their first three years, about once every two weeks in a hot climate. It also says do not overwater, since redbud won't tolerate summer water at the root crown. The UC Master Gardener article rates it as a very low water-use tree.

When to prune what in El Dorado Hills

The table above is the quick guide. If you have a mix of trees, a pro can plan the year so each one gets its cut at the right time.

What ornamental tree pruning in El Dorado Hills costs

Pricing follows the tree's size. A crape myrtle is often under 30 feet. A mature Chinese pistache can be much taller.

For trees below 30 feet tall, LawnStarter's range is $85 to $415. Homeyou says a small tree runs $98 to $258 when you hire a pro. Those are national numbers, so the real quote may differ.

Why El Dorado Hills tree trimming starts with a call

Pretty trees are easy to wreck with the wrong cut. We don't hold the saw. We find the person who does, and who knows each kind of tree.

Tree trimming in El Dorado Hills, step by step

1. Call or send the form. Name your trees if you know them.
2. We choose a pro from nearby and book a time.
3. On the visit, the pro studies each tree and names its season.
4. You get a price. If it's the wrong season, the pro may book the work for later.