previous
  • Indeterminate or Determinate Tomatoes?
    Indeterminate or Determinate Tomatoes?
  • Fragrant Plants for Pathways
    Fragrant Plants for Pathways
  • Comfortable Alfresco Dining
    Comfortable Alfresco Dining
  • Lawn Alternatives
    Lawn Alternatives
  • Plants that Spark!
    Plants that Spark!
  • Save Money by Growing Your Own
    Save Money by Growing Your Own
  • Building a Compost Bin
    Building a Compost Bin
  • Plant an Easy-to-Water Strawberry Jar
    Plant an Easy-to-Water Strawberry Jar
  • Pretty in Pink
    Pretty in Pink
  • Fast-Growing Trees for Impatient Gardeners
    Fast-Growing Trees for Impatient Gardeners
  • Designing with Curved Terraces
    Designing with Curved Terraces
  • Slideshow: Beautiful Clematis
    Slideshow: Beautiful Clematis
  • Garden Confidential: A Plant Walks into a Bar
    Garden Confidential: A Plant Walks into a Bar
  • Thoughts From a Foreign Field
    Thoughts From a Foreign Field
  • NEW Video Series: There's a Better Way
    NEW Video Series: There's a Better Way
  • Make a Succulent Topiary
    Make a Succulent Topiary
  • Dwarf Citrus Trees
    Dwarf Citrus Trees
  • Homegrown / Homemade
    Homegrown / Homemade
  • Mulch for a Healthy Garden
    Mulch for a Healthy Garden
  • Colorful Selections for Shade
    Colorful Selections for Shade
  • Containers as Focal Points
    Containers as Focal Points
  • Stylish Shady Containers
    Stylish Shady Containers
  • Elephant's Ears
    Elephant's Ears
  • 6 Tips for Weed Control
    6 Tips for Weed Control
  • In Pursuit of the Perfect Potting Shed
    In Pursuit of the Perfect Potting Shed
next

Poplar suckers cause chaos

Q: A forest of suckers has replaced my departed Lombardy poplar. Should I just keep pulling the suckers, or would a chemical treatment work better?

Susan Witt, Potter Valley, CA

To get rid of suckers, use a paint brush to carefully apply herbicides to only the undesirable trees and shrubs. To get rid of suckers, use a paint brush to carefully apply herbicides to only the undesirable trees and shrubs. Photo/Illustration: Jennifer Blume

A: Dan Dalton, arborist at Glen Gate Company in Wilton, Connecticut, replies: Lombardy poplars (Populus nigra ‘Italica’) are notorious for spreading by root suckers after the main tree is removed. The remaining root buds become active in the spring when the tree comes out of dormancy, resulting in an abundance of unwelcome suckers.

You could spend the rest of your life either pulling the suckers out by hand or chopping them back, or you could go the easier route and kill what’s left of the tree with a glyphosate-based product like Roundup. This chemical is one of safest to use in the home garden, but it is a non-selective herbicide. It will kill any plant it comes in contact with, so special care should be taken when applying to keep it away from plants you don’t want harmed, and be sure to read the label before using. An added benefit of glyphosate is that it has a short residual life, which means that it doesn’t stay active in the soil for long.

To apply it, paint or spray the exposed stump and suckers with a 50:50 solution of glyphosate to water. Another option is to spray the foliage of the uncut sprouts with a 1:10 solution of glyphosate to water. If the suckers are very large, cut them down to the ground and allow them to resprout to half the original size before spraying. This will reduce damage to nearby desirable plants from drifting spray. Repeat the process as needed until suckers no longer appear.

From Fine Gardening 65, pp. 72