Trees provide value to any yard or park and improve our quality of life in countless ways outside their aesthetic appeal. After all, studies have shown that interacting with nature benefits our emotional and social health. However, before new leaves have fully emerged on trees in the early spring, a pest grows freely on trees. This pest, known as tree sprouts, proliferates on trees and constitutes a threat that must be eradicated.
Knowing how to remove tree sprouts and, ideally, how to prevent them from growing in the first place is essential since they are both a nuisance and a health issue for trees.
Why Tree Sprouts Are Seen as Pests:
Due to their tendency to rob the host tree of water and nutrients, these pests are commonly referred to as suckers or sprouts. Unlike water sprouts, which grow from latent buds on the trunk or branches, tree sprouts grow on the root system of a tree or shrub.
The sucking action of a tree sprout is detrimental to the host tree because it causes the tree to lose water and nutrients. Typically, these shoots will emerge from the ground around a tree’s trunk or its shallow roots at nodes that are close enough to the ground’s surface to absorb enough sunlight for germination.
Both live and dead trees and shrubs leave a trail of sprouts in the yard and around the plant’s base. Tree sprouts can kill a tree’s crown or convert a sapling into a multi-stemmed shrub.
Whether or not the tree is alive determines how the sucker growth should be dealt with. However, the best way to stop tree sprouts from ruining your garden appeal is to take the following measures:
- Remove by hand or tools
- cut off sunlight
- Herbicides
- Use chemicals
Remove by Hand or with Hand Tools
Sucker roots can develop anywhere in a tree’s root system. Get rid of sprouts at their source to get rid of the bud. These tiny buds form around the trunk base and are the sources of the sprouts that will keep growing back if you don’t cut them off.
To do so, you may need to dig around the tree’s base or the root in the middle of the yard to find the source. Use hand shears, lopping pruners, or a sharp knife to immediately remove any tree sprouts that grow from the tree’s base. Cut as deeply as possible to prevent the sucker from resprouting without severing the tree root system.
If the tree sprouts and buds are still young enough, they can be removed with your own hands. If you prune out new sprouts as soon as they appear, you can delay their spread but may not be able to stop them altogether.
Cut Off Access to Sunlight and Water
Tree sprouts depend on sunlight for growth and development like their hosts. However, you can cut off this process by piling mulch high around the base of the host tree to prevent its exposed roots from receiving sunlight and producing sprouts.
Whether it’s a result of the tree’s growth pattern or the soil’s density, trees that have shallow roots are more likely to sucker severely. However, after cutting off the sprouts at the tree’s stump, placing a circle at the base of the tree canopy is ideal for preventing further development.
Also, before applying mulch, covering the area with a layer of black plastic might further deter sucker development around felled trees. Because the plastic prevents the roots from receiving sunshine and water, it may be able to halt the growth of sprouts altogether.
Cautious Use of Herbicides on Tree Sprouts
Using herbicide to treat sprouts on living trees is not recommended if you intend to maintain the tree as part of your landscaping design. Herbicides containing the active ingredients triclopyr and glyphosate effectively prevent the formation of sucker shoots from trees and shrubs that have been snipped yet continue to sprout new growth.
These chemicals are often sold in ready-to-use spray bottles with a 2 to 3 percent solution and have the best results when applied directly to the affected area. The herbicide may be sprayed on the stems and leaves of the sprouts, and after approximately a week, the plants will die.
Also, cutting off the tree sprouts’ tips and soaking them in a herbicide overnight allows the roots to absorb as much poison as possible. This method is especially effective for very tenacious sprouts.
The herbicide you choose to remove the sprouts surrounding a tree in your yard should have ingredients that target just the tree shoots and not the grass. However, if the tree is not in a lawn or flower bed, and you don’t care if you harm other plants, you can use a non-selective herbicide to kill the sprouts.
- Always remember the following safety protocols when using herbicides
- wear protective eyewear, gloves, and long clothing when working with chemical herbicides in the garden.
- It’s essential to read the whole warning notice before using.
- Keep any unused portion in the original packaging and out of the reach of the kids.
- Don’t risk contamination by keeping anything you won’t use again.
- Organic methods are preferable to chemical control since they are less harmful to people and the environment.
Chemicals that Control Tree Sprout Growth
The sucker development can be stopped for up to three months with the use of plant growth regulator chemicals. While maleic hydrazide-containing chemicals are standard issues for commercial landscapers and arborists, naphthalene acetate-only plant growth regulators are available to regular consumers.
These items can be found in ready-to-use spray bottles, but the concentrated versions require further mixing to create a 1% solution. For a 40 percent naphthalene acetate concentrate, the recommended mixing ratio is around 1 ounce of growth regulator per gallon of water.
After removing or severing the sprouts, spray the exposed root liberally with the growth regulator and watch the chemical free the tree of this nuisance for months.
Conclusion:
Tree sprouts are common in our gardens, and when left unchecked, they can develop into a shrub-like mass of new stems emerging from its base or an exposed part of its trunk. However, stopping tree sprouts from growing is very easy to do. This can be done by applying the above methods, including using a sharp, clean pair of pruning shears, herbicides, plant growth regulators, and mulching. By getting rid of this infection, you allow your trees to blossom stress-free.