Remove Suckers to Improve Appearance of Trees
Unwanted Growth at Trunk and Along Branches Zaps Vigor, Aesthetics
Aug 22, 2009
Suckers and water sprouts, which start to harden before fall, can mar the aesthetics of ornamentals and divert energy as the tree instead pushes out unwanted growth.
“You have a lot of food going into the suckers,’’ Ivan Opperman, owner of Shaner Avenue Nursery, said in an interview. “All of that could have been going into the top of the tree.’’
Suckers Sap Strength
Suckers originate from an underground shoot or root of a tree and appear in spring. Since most flowering and fruiting trees are grafted onto root stock, suckers are apt to grow just beneath the graft.
Many hardwood trees develop suckers, including maples, aspens and sycamores. Flowering and fruiting trees prone to suckering are dogwood, flowering cherries and flowering plums.
Trees damaged by storms or stressed by insects will produce suckers as a form of self-preservation. A good example is ash trees. Thousands of ashes killed by emerald ash borer infestation are pushing new growth at the base even though the upper portion of the tree is dead.
Pruning Cuts Spur Growth
If you pruned a tree in spring or late winter, it’s a good bet you will see new growth originating from the pruning cut. These are referred to as water sprouts and develop at the point of earlier pruning cuts. Left alone, water sprouts upset the symmetry and appearance of a tree, eventually becoming a tangle of misdirected interior branches.
“The only way I’ve found to conquer them is to cut them, and it is a constant battle until the tree matures,’’ said Opperman, head of a family-run nursery in Rockford, Mich.
Tough Love
To get rid of suckers, cut them back to the point of origin. For grafted trees, this may be a twice-yearly task. It is easier to remove suckers when they are young because the tissue has not had time to harden off.
“Any time you see suckers popping out is a good time to pinch them off,’’ Opperman said.
For suckers more than a year old, use heavy-duty pruning shears or loping shears to get a clean cut. When removing growth that appears diseased, wipe the cutting edge of pruners with a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water to prevent disease from being transferred to healthy tissue.
A Helping Hand
A growth regulator called Sucker Stopper, produced by Monterey Lawn and Garden Products Inc. inhibits sucker growth from pruning cuts. A company sales representative said the trademarked product retards new growth for three to four months. Sucker Stopper is available in a 22 ounce ready-to-use spray bottle and can be found at select garden centers or ordered on-line from the Fresno, Calif. company.
Opperman cautions against using a non-selective herbicide to kill sucker growth at the base of trees. Systemic herbicides move from the point of contact, in this case suckers, and into the root system. Mature trees may withstand the herbicide, but younger trees will be in jeopardy, Opperman cautioned.
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