I have a tree that is about 6 years old - how do I handle the roots sprouting?

Question

It was put in a year or two after I built my house. The tree itself is healthy, but there are roots sprouting little trees all over. Is the only thing I can do is keep cutting them down??

Answer 1

These are shoots growing off the roots.  This is usually caused by damage to the root eg digging, the root gets damaged and sends up a 'sucker' to form a new plant in case the main tree gets badly damaged and dies.  It's a form of self preservation.  If the tree is really dry this may also happen and some varieties are just prone to it eg Robinias.

If you cut the suckers off they will keep shooting from the buds around the original sucker and you just keep going.  If you can pull the sucker off sideways from where it is growing from (you may have to dig down to the root),this damages the bark and may help with regrowth.  

If they are in the lawn and you continually mow them you may find they eventually die over the years from the constant damage but there is no 'quick fix.

If it has been dry in your area this may be pushing it to sucker so give it a good watering weekly for a while after you remove the suckers and see if this helps.

Answer 2

A lot of trees will grow "shooters" (trees coming up from sideroots or from the main trunk).  Just cut them off every spring before they get too big, as these nuisance trees are sapping energy from your main tree.

Answer 3

sorry, yes.  pruning is it.  any chemical control will affect the whole tree.  covering with a barrier may also be a problem for the main tree.

the question is why is it doing this?  Trees that have been grafted onto a different rootstock may have an incompatibility problem.  Does the rest of the top look healthy?  

If the energy coming from the grafted root can not get used by the top, the root will try to grow itself another top.  This may mean a losing battle for you.  Sometimes, a rootstock will sprout if the plant is just not deep enough in the ground.  Be careful about changing the grade on an established tree though as this is another way to kill it.

If the tree is not a grafted kind, it could be a stoloniferous type by nature.  Trees like Amelanchier (Seviceberry) are meant to be multiple-stemmed indviduals.  pruning them into a tree form is just not how they want to be.  If this is the case, you also have a battle but it is not hurting the plant to cut them.

Talk to a local garden center professional.  They should be able to tell you what the problem is.