Matt Karst answers two questions that deal with suckers that are sprouting up a few feet from the base of trees. One that was recently removed and one that has clonal suckers.
I had hundreds of small cottonwoods suckers that I pulled from the ground. I have also removed about 15 of the larger cottonwoods that caused the suckers. I rip the suckers from the ground as soon as I see them sprout. How long do you think it will take for spiderweb maze of roots to die off?
If all the large trees were removed, maybe like a year or two. It all depends on how much energy is stored up in the roots to keep producing suckers. As long as you continue to starve the roots by removing the suckers they will eventually stop sprouting.
I have a post oak with hundreds of runners spiderwebbing out in my hostas garden. I’m so aggravated I wanna remove the whole tree but it’s providing my shade. I can’t just cut back a sucker because they are runners!
Are you talking about surface roots or suckers like little trees sprouting up? Surface roots should be fine and get covered by the hostas and you can prune suckers back to the ground but be sure to do it when there is no risk of oak wilt spreading. This can vary by region so make sure to consult your local extension agency if you are unsure.
Is it okay to let the suckers stay for the year then cut them out ? I don't want to weakend the main tree but I do want it to have slow growth. I don't want lots of leaves and branches grow til thick with them which makes it more difficult to trim back. And I don't want the suckers to overtake the main tree though. If there's a diff method to encourage slow growth, pls tell me. thank you. Also, i don't know what type of tree I have but I do need to trim it every year else the branches will grow almost above the 2 story house as well as branches reaching the house. thx
I have a plum tree that has root suckers (I believe they are), popping up around the tree, 2-3 feet from the trunk. How can I get rid of them? I thought they were baby plum trees at first and attempted to pry them out with a pitch fork but they didn't budge.(it actually bent my pitch fork :( They are taking over the garden bed, slowly rendering it unusable. Please advise. thank you:)
Most people end up mowing them when they pop up in their grass. You will most likely have to hand pick/prune if they are in a garden bed since any herbicide could negatively affect the main tree.
I have a question. A neighbor cut down a healthy tree on their front yard and did not have the stump removed. I now have suckers popping up all over my lawn. This has been going on for 2 years. I've talked to the neighbor(Who unfortunately does not speak English very well) and he either refuses to do anything about it or doesn't understand what I'm asking him to do. Is there something I can do to stop this? I believe the tree was a Honey Locust. Is it possible to poison the stump and kill the roots??
The suckers are sprouting up since there are leftover resources in the roots. Since all of the top growth was removed the tree is responding with suckers in an attempt to continue to create more food. Eventually, the roots and stump will run out of resources, but if it continues to get water, and the leaves on the suckers aren't removed, it can continue to sprout. I am not sure how long this can go on for, but eventually, it will run out of resources.
I have a large tree in my backyard with a sucker that was never removed by the previous homeowner. The sucker is a decent size tree of it’s own. It’s probably at least 5 inches in diameter. The base of it’s trunk is touching the trunk of the tree and they are essentially grown together until about a foot off the ground where they split. I would like to cut it down because it is growing into the canopy of the tree. Is it too late to do that?
From the description, it might be more of a lower branch never pruned or a branch that was fighting for apical dominance at one point if it doesn't branch out until a foot from the ground. My only concern would be damaging the main tree while trying to remove the other one. Depending on how much they have grown together it could cause a problem. At least have a local arborist come out and take a look. Being able to see it in person always helps to figure out what exactly is going on.
Question… I have 2 maple trees that were pretty big and they end up getting sun scalded and eventually a storm blew them over. Is it ok to regrow the trees from the sprouts that have popped up ? If I were to remove all but one sprout? Thanks a lot!
If they were cultivars, they would most likely not re-sprout as the same tree assuming the growth is coming from below the graft. Structurally it is probably best to just start over with a new tree as well since the sprout will end up competing with the dead material and growing around it resulting in not a structurally sound main stem.
I have a large snow crab apple tree that is shooting out from the base of the tree. Our friend took them down with a chainsaw as they were incredibly thick and hard to remove by hand. Is it possible to lay rocks or something down at the base to prevent them from growing back? In the future we hope to place a flower bed at the base but we are worried about how many suckers come out of this tree.
If they are coming off the main trunk I wouldn't advise building up rock around the base. They would probably still find a way to grow through and the rocks could damage the main trunk. Most suckers are a response from the tree due to pruning wounds or root damage. They can sometimes sprout up if the main canopy has defoliated like from a disease in an attempt by the tree to put out more leaves. Unfortunately, some trees are just more prone to sucker growth (like crabapples) and will probably continue to sprout up.
You could try cutting the sprouts near the base and applying rooting hormone to get them to grow their own roots. Otherwise, you would need to sever the root to replant which could harm the larger tree it is sprouting from.
@@W.Vanderbilt just cutting the sprouts shouldn't harm the main tree, severing the larger roots would stress out the larger tree. If you are in the MN area you could have a consulting arborist come take a look through our website, or contact an ISA certified arborist in your area to inspect the roots and sprouts.
