there isn't a way. I have seen people who have a LOT of those suckers create what looks like a (I guess it is) a ground cover. they just weed whack the tops to make it nice and even.

Daviedearest, like Laura says, you can't stop them. I'm one of the ones that keeps them trimmed as a ground cover with a week whacker. This way, the tree keeps most of its foliage (yes, the trees use this to photosynthesize and create energy), and it stays looking neat and tidy. If you don't want to kill your oak or set it back, please don't use roundup on the suckers. It will slowly kill your tree. Even a large tree. I just make the best of what the tree wants to do. You can still have a pot garden there, or plant a few ferns. Have fun with it!

Are they shoots or sprouting acorns? I often see what look tons of seedlings under some oaks where fallen leaves have been removed & it's just bare soil. I have a large live oak that I've allowed the leaves to pile up under & the acorns very rarely, if ever, sprout there.

Is it because some are fighting against nature, I wonder, or are some trees more prone to this than others?

I also do not water the area under the tree, as a rule.

In my yard it's a very old oak (150-200 years old), that is slowly thinning out and declining. It compensates by putting out suckers underneath to add foliage and get nutrition from additional photosynthesis. They do come from the roots, and are true suckers. I have other oaks that are younger and healthier that don't do this. It's important for the health of the old tree not to do away with the suckers as it needs them for survival. Some people spray the unwanted suckers with roundup, which results in slow tree death. I think we just have to make the best of it. It's a good place for a pot garden.

carolb, I only "like" because it's funny, not because I 420.