A lot of my trees in my acre yard are sending up a lot of suckers,?
Question:from the roots and also from the base of the tree. Why does this happen and how can I prevent it?
Answers:
Some trees are prone to suckering and will do this for their entire life. Examples are Willows and Black Locust trees. Suckering usually indicates a vigorously growing tree, but there are exceptions. Trees under stress, damaged (girdled or broken trunks/stems) or dying trees can sometimes begin to sucker as a survival mechanism. I have a client with crabapple trees that have begun to sucker profusely. We pulled the mulch off the trunks to reveal that every trunk has been girdled or nearly girdled from years of improper mulching. Ash trees will sucker profusely after Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestations have girdled the tree.
You need to remove suckers ASAP. To do so requires that you cut them off at the trunk or roots at their departure point. If you do not cut them at this point, they will persist.
You can't prevent the suckers. You just need to cut them off so all the nutrients go to the main parts of the tree.
Water more to send roots deeper and cover exposed roots with more dirt after cutting off suckers.
More Related Questions & Answers...