You don't have to worry so much about touching branches at the base of your crApe myrtle. The biggest concern (what you probably hear people talking about) is rubbing branches and trunks. If the trunks or branches rub each other raw, that can become an entry point for pests and disease.

One thing that you do need to do is to remove that broken branch and the small crossing branch. Those definitely need to go ASAP.

As to whether one of the larger touching trunks needs to go, if it were me, I'd consider what the overall form of the tree would be like without each of those two trunks. If it wouldn't bother the form, I would probably remove one. I don't think it's something that you have to do or that you have to do immediately. If you see damage between the trunks, later on, then you probably should consider removing one. What you have is VERY typical of crApe myrtles though.

Thanks! That's really helpful. I would miss having that 4th branch from an aesthetics perspective as it would look "front heavy" having 2 branches in the front and only 1 in the back. I could certainly live with that if needed, but would like to keep the 4th if it doesn't put the tree at risk for disease.

May I ask what I should be looking for in the future as a sign that one of them would need to be removed? Will it turn black? Or what should I be on guard against?

Rubbing branches is never good, so that's not a good start when it already happens at the base...

BTW, how do you embed photos in your post?

Hey Brandon ....where's the root flare..

As to OP... do you want a healthy plant ...or one that is aesthetically pleasing?

Forgive me ...but you opted for instant gratification .... the aesthetic ....instead of a well pruned plant ... at point of sale

We can teach you how to avoid that next time ....but in the mean time ....do you want to fix this one????

At planting I hope you untangled the roots ....... did Not amend the planting hole .... and followed Brandon tutorial about such ....of which I don't have my handy link on my new gizmo.....

Ken

Rubbing branches/trunks will sometimes move back and forth until the bark is worn away and a wound is formed. That's what you don't want.

I had thought Brandon was saying removing the 4th branch was optional - and not necessary at this point, but it sounds like blakrab and Ken disagree. That or I misunderstood Brandon's original comment. My whole reason for posting here is to learn the "right way" to handle this problem.

So if I'm understanding things properly now, the consensus opinion would be to remove one of those 2 as a preventative measure? Does it matter which one I remove?

Note 1: I just found this forum the other day after planting, so I haven't see any of the tutorials on this site before I planted. Should I dig the tree up and do something else to it before it gets too established?

Note 2: (I use photobucket.com for photo storage. They have 4 different style links one can choose for posting to forums: email, direct, html, and img. I'm using the IMG option).

Crapes throw numerous basal branches - whether a crape is a tree or a big, multi-stemmed shrub is a matter of ripping off the new basals several times a year. If that branch is going to make you lose sleep, remove it and train a replacement basal.
Personally I don't think there would be much rubbing when the crossing point is that low but its only your opinion that counts.
Don't worry about looking for a root flare, your crape is fine (they are grown from rooted cuttings in pots and planting it at the depth it was growing in the pot is fine).

Thanks, cecily. I appreciate the reply!

Blakrab and Ken's posts weren't there when I pressed enter, but as Cecily already said (and I already implied), rubbing branches usually aren't a problem at the base of a crape myrtle. But, if the current form bothers you, choose one of the touching trunks and remove it. Crossing branches (like the small ones I recommended removing) should be removed.

Also, like Cecily, I wouldn't worry about planting depth. Yours look perfectly fine to me. Unless the picture of your crape's base is very deceiving, the root flare is almost certainly just right below a light layer of mulch.

Thanks, Brandon. I appreciate the clarification about branches at the base not causing the same degree of issues as branches up top. And yes, there is only a light layer of mulch at the base - nothing heavy in that part - just enough to barely cover the soil of the root ball.

Do you know is there a certain amount of time I need to wait before the initial pruning? I know planting is stressful on a tree, and I've heard some people say to wait a year. Do you know if that's accurate?

All the pruning we've talked about so far could be done anytime, really. But, unless there's a certain reason to do it right now, I'd probably go ahead and wait until March to minimize possible cold damage at the cutting site (damage to the tissue that will close over the wound) and to minimize the time that the wound stays exposed (March is closer to spring growth time).

Pruning minor branches or removing entire trunks doesn't need to be put off for any certain period of time after planting. Major pruning on canopies to newly planted trees and shrubs, on the other hand, is a bad idea.

I would recommend removing one of the branches, but before giving a definitive answer I would like to know what type of crape myrtle you have. It should have come with a tag. Also, a picture of the whole tree so I can get a better perspective. If its a shrub and you want a unwieldy shrub, then let it be, but if it is situated in a prominent location in your landscape, then I would train it by pruning. A tree type crape can have only one main stem and look great in certain locations, I have 175 crape myrtles and most have 3-5 main stems, but I do have one stem ones here and there. Most of the shrubs ones have close to 5 stems and the tree types have 3. All of them were trained starting in 2000 and today I do minimum pruning.

Hoseman, sorry for the delay. We had some rainy weather move through, so I wasn't able to take a picture right away.

The tree is a Natchez Crape Myrtle. Please let me know your thoughts after you've seen the pic of the entire tree.

Thanks!
Jonathan

I have natchez crape myrtles and I train them to three main stems. As they age I trim off the lower branches so the defoliating cinnamon bark can be a focal point when the tree is not in bloom. The natchez is a tree form of crape myrtle, blooms white and the bloom lasts about 100 days. The fall leaf color is nice.

Yes, I would take off the crossed branch that is rubbing, leave the one of the two that is the straightest as the trunk will be a beautiful part of the tree year round. Due to the location of your tree I would probably not train it to one stem. You have plenty of room for three main stems.

Since most crapes are propagated from cuttings...it would seem (to me) that any concerns about a 'root flare' - if there even IS one - on a small, young specimen like that are inconsequential.

I wouldn't worry about the crossing trunks that low to the ground. More likely than not they'll be semi-fused at that point and not cause any problems. The real problem with crepes is people's tendency to over-prune (especially topping) which results in ugly plants with weak, floppy new growth. I'd limit pruning to removing dead branches and maybe making sure the center is open enough to allow good light and air circulation.

I never have to be concerned here with anything more than removing dead branches/trunks in spring, as the plants die back to ground level in most winters.