Pruning basal suckers

[Mintopop]

I'm still having a hard time understanding when and where to prune basal suckers. Maybe I've read too many conflicting sources of information, but it seems like the general practice has changed from "prune suckers whenever you can" to "suckers are an important source of energy in mature trees and should be left alone". Doesn't help that some of previous jobs have had me pruning suckers regularly as standard practice.

The specific tree I'm struggling with is this Tilia americana. We recently moved here and the previous owner did zero yard work for about 7 years according to neighbours. The entire property was covered with years of overgrowth and piles of natural compost that was starting to choke everything out (in addition to leaving huge piles of construction garbage all over the place). I've been slowly working on exposing the root flare on this linden (you can see the discolouration on the bark from where the years of mulch used to lay), and while it's not quite where I want it yet it's probably as good as it's going to get this year.
Now I'm puzzling over whether I should remove the two larger epicormic shoots near the base, probably about 5cm dbh each. The tree has some minor deadwood and sapsucker holes, but nothing that would indicate to me that it's in a state of significant decline. I'm assuming the suckers are a response to lack of oxygen. If I prune them down now, do you guys think that will help the tree focus its energy back into the main body? Or do you guys think it's just going to cause additional stress on the tree? I'm worried that now I've opened everything up, these suckers are going to take off like crazy

 

[Tom Dunlap]

The whole Tilia family is very sucker prone. Even if they are planted right or even from seed

Once they start suckering it doesn’t end.

My strategy would be to cut them all off every year. Do the cutting in late spring just after the flush of growth snd just before the leaves have hardened. Doing good collar cuts helps reduce suckering

What you’re doing is bankrupting the stored energy reserves in the base area. Gradually you’ll stop the hormone production.

This is going to be long term and very time-critical. Don’t expect to be successful either

 

[Mintopop]

This is going to be long term and very time-critical. Don’t expect to be successful either

I feared this was going to be the answer. It's such a pet peeve of mine to have a bunch of sucker stumps all over the place, but unfortunately now I'm in a part of the world where the only trees that are hardy enough to survive are also extremely sucker-prone. Good to know there's specific windows to tackle this in though; is that late spring window generally applicable to all suckering trees?

 

[Njdelaney]

I'm wondering this same question about a mature Cercis canadensis in my front yard. It's dying a branch at a time and blasts out suckers like crazy all up the first 7' of the trunk. It's a tall one so suckers make it look ridiculous, especially with all the limbs being up high. There are knobs all over the trunk and I'm starting to think that it has been sucker pruned for years and that's what the knobs are. To prune or not to prune the suckers? My first priority is the health of the tree.

 

[evo]

The only way to prevent more suckering is not to prune the suckers off.. But if you are going to prune them off it shouldn't hurt the tree too much, just dig out the area and make a proper cut..
As an experiment that I'd like to try, a client told me you can cut them off below grade (proper cut I'm assuming~!) and apply some rooting hormone to the wound.
Makes sense, and I'd like to give it a shot on one of my own trees sometime. Better yet, you try it and report back in a couple of years then give me credit. Ha!

 

[evo]

I'm wondering this same question about a mature Cercis canadensis in my front yard. It's dying a branch at a time and blasts out suckers like crazy. It's a tall one so suckers make it look ridiculous, especially with all the limbs being up high. There are knobs all over the trunk and I'm starting to think that it has been sucker pruned for years and that's what the knobs are. To prune or not to prune the suckers? My first priority is the health of the tree.

Remember Suckers arise from roots and the below ground flair.. Epicormic, latent buds, advantageous sprouts are different.. Thin these, removing 1/3ish (I typically go heavier), subordinate 1/3, and directional prune the remainder.

 

[Njdelaney]

Remember Suckers arise from roots and the below ground flair.. Epicormic, latent buds, advantageous sprouts are different.. Thin these, removing 1/3ish (I typically go heavier), subordinate 1/3, and directional prune the remainder.

Thanks for the advice. My understanding of the term sucker was less nuanced up to this point!

 

[evo]

Thanks for the advice. My understanding of the term sucker was less nuanced up to this point!

yes and no... everyone calls any sprouts a sucker, including me! but theres more going on to it.. The buzz has talked about this at length in various threads, but one thing that hasn't been addressed is what the F is going on with root or basal suckers? What makes that bud deicide "Meh, screw it I wanna see light, make leaves, and be the give the bird to all arborists"

 

[ATH]

yes and no... everyone calls any sprouts a sucker, including me! but theres more going on to it.. The buzz has talked about this at length in various threads, but one thing that hasn't been addressed is what the F is going on with root or basal suckers? What makes that bud deicide "Meh, screw it I wanna see light, make leaves, and be the give the bird to all arborists"

Its a basswood...it doesn't need a reason.

 

[evo]

Its a basswood...it doesn't need a reason.

Ha! all you easterners with the diversity and stuff, kinda like a Boston or New York lov, a tongue lashing and a act of kindness at the same time..

 

[ATH]

easy @evo...I'm a midwesterner. I know to you westerners, we're all the same though

 

[Mintopop]

Remember Suckers arise from roots and the below ground flair.. Epicormic, latent buds, advantageous sprouts are different.. Thin these, removing 1/3ish (I typically go heavier), subordinate 1/3, and directional prune the remainder.

+1 for the more informative terms haha, I've always just called everything a sucker.

In this case they were probably near ground level at one point before they became buried, so I guess the proper terminology here would be an epicormic sprout since they're sprouting from the trunk. The whole area that was buried was a mess of adventitious roots too, some coming off the sprouts.

As an experiment that I'd like to try, a client told me you can cut them off below grade (proper cut I'm assuming~!) and apply some rooting hormone to the wound.

Would genuinely love to try this as I have two suckers of about the same size so it wouldn't be a bad experiment. I'll have to pick some up and try it out in the spring.

 

[colb]

The base of the tree does not seem to flair in at least one major area. Is the flair deep, or nonexistent? Along with what has been mentioned about the species profile of Tilia including a propensity to sucker, perhaps there is no flair for reasons that you'll discover upon excavation...