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Unknown shoot - small tree? Do we prune it?
novice_123
Posts: 4
Hello,
A few months ago, a long shoot suddenly appeared in a pot in our small front garden. Someone mentioned to us that it looks like it could be a fruit tree or similar, which has potentially grown from a seed or pip. It has since lost the few leaves it had (since the frosts) and is now one long (over a metre long) stem with no leaves, with a couple of shorter stems coming off it.
My question is, do we need to prune it, or do we leave it as it is? If we prune it now, would new shoots appear? Should it produce leaves again in the Spring / once the weather is warmer?
Any advice very welcome! Many thanks.
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Posts
I think we need to see a photo. Most plants that 'appear' are not fruit trees.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Sounds like one of those dreaded Ash saplings that shoot up everywhere and grow a root so tough it’s a job to pull them up.
Here are two photos - as you can see, all the leaves have fallen off during the cold spells over winter. Any ideas - is it just an Ash sapling, or something more interesting / worth keeping? And if so, do I need to prune it back now? (or wait until Spring). Many thanks.
Definitely a planted tree I think and not ash. Could very well be a little fruit tree, but odd that somebody just left it there.
I would wait until it gets a little warmer and you see signs of new growth then prune about a foot or so off the main long shoot and six inches or so off the side shoot that's longest so it looks in proportion overall. You need to do a sloping cut very carefully just above a bud - have a look on the Gardeners World website for pruning to see how to do it.
Then you will just have to wait and see what you've got - post again when you've got some leaves on it and we'll try to identify it then.
Hmmm ............. I think we need to wait until those leaf buds open ............
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks very much for the advice - really helpful. I think I'll wait until it's warmer, like you've suggested, and then hopefully we'll see signs of new growth and will give the pruning a go. Fingers crossed! Will post again once there are some leaves..
Agree with you Dove, I'd wait until the leaves arrive before doing anything. Post a picture then and it'll be identified so you'll know how to deal with it.
Just had another thought - are there any walnut trees nearby? It could be a sapling that's grown from a walnut planted by a squirrel.
What was in the pot before?
Thanks, everyone - I'll wait until we have some new leaves. Should I be feeding and/or watering it in the meantime?
Lizzie - that's a good point, as do occasionally have squirrels in the area. I've just looked at photos of young walnut trees and the leaves do look similar to the few leaves that were there before winter (from memory), but we will wait to see what the new leaves are like.
We originally had a peony in the pot, but as the new 'tree' started shooting up, the roots seemed to take over and the peony started suffering, so I moved it out to its own pot - which was a struggle as the roots of the new 'tree' had really taken grip.
In sunnier months, the pot gets very direct morning sunlight (we started with camellia which didn't like such direct light, it seemed, so we moved that). Hopefully a walnut (or other tree) would be happy in that position.
Let's hope it's not a walnut, it won't last long in a small pot, they can be huge