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Suckers - how to deal with them?
Hogroast2
Posts: 55
in Fruit & veg
There is a gnarly old cherry tree in my garden, which last summer struggled to produce cherries. It was a tangle of dead wood, which I have now cut out, but there are about 8-10 suckers growing out of the bottom that are up to 2m tall.
Is this why the top of the tree is failing to produce? I notice that it is the suckers that are in flower at the moment, whereas the actual tree only has buds on it.
Are the suckers the problem? And if so, can I do anything about them at this late stage? I have heard you need to yank and tear them out, as near to the trunk as possible? Is this true? Mine have such strong bases (like a rose bush) that I would struggle to do that.
What would anyone suggest? Or is this a problem not worth bothering about?
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Thanks very much for this, Edd.
They're not all coming from one root - more like three or four. This has obviously been going on for some time - there is evidence of at least 20 stumps of suckers that have been chopped off. But the roots they come from are very thick - about 2 inches in diameter. They're all around the North side of the tree. If I just chop them down flush with the roots will that help the tree to fruit and flower?
Thanks so much. Can I cut them off now? Or do I have to wait until next winter?