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Vegetable Gardening garden

How get rid of suckers in vegetable garden

3 years ago

I have a lot of suckers in the plot of land I'm trying to start a vegetable garden. Any suggestions how to get rid of the suckers? I'm not certain where the suckers are coming from but I don't mind getting rid of the tree/bush.

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Comments (8)

vgkg Z-7 Va
3 years ago
They say a sucker is born every minute ;-)

Knowing what type of sucker you are dealing with would help in resolving your problem.
aptz
Original Author
3 years ago
Lol, I agree. I'm not certain, think it's a small tree but I don't know my trees very well.
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tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
3 years ago
Pix would help.

tj
aptz
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks for your comments and I'll work on getting one. It's not in my back yard so may take a day or so. Is it safe to paint on Brush Killer?
daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Suckers are from invading roots. Roots come to where there is water and fertilizer. Presto - in your garden! For any given season, the main strategy is to dig the roots up. For longer term, some kind of underground barrier would be necessary if the owner of those roots isn't eliminated. One of my beds is not far from a heritage live oak, and suckers from those roots come up regularly. I just deep-dig the bed every year, and try not to worry about the suckers that survive. For live oaks in particular, there are no repellants, hormones or chemical sprays that suppress or remove the suckers without harming the mother tree.

By the way, at least for trees that push up suckers, note that the root system can be huge. Often, the spread of the root system is more than the height of the tree. So you may be dealing with a tree a ways away.
aptz
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks Dan, your post got me thinking it may be a bit difficult to take a pic of the tree if it's a distance away off and be sure I've identified the guilty tree. If I understand correctly the tree might even be gone, just a stump left.
daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Once a tree has been cut, the roots won't grow anymore, because the foliage is needed to generate food for the roots. Except to the extent some suckers survive. Many trees simply don't produce suckers, so when he tree is gone, the roots simply die.

In your case, if the tree is gone, most of the strength of the root system is as well, and within a few years the suckers will stop.

I have to suppose that if you dig down, and find a large root the sucker came from, it'll more or less point back to the tree that it came from.
naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
3 years ago
Using a brush killer on a sucker can affect a tree connected to the sucker root connection. Don't use the Brush Killer on suckers if you think the source tree is around and should not be damaged or killed.

If the main tree has been cut down, then applying herbicide to any suckers can reduce the time it takes for the remaining root system to stop sending up sprouts. Some root systems have a surprising reserve of food energy stored and can produce sucker growth for quite awhile.

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