Reasons for the appearance of plum sprouts and how to get rid of it forever
For beginners and even experienced gardeners, the question arises: how to get rid of the growth growing near the plum? Young green shoots take nutrients from the main tree and make the garden appear like an impenetrable jungle. First of all, you need to find out the reason for the appearance of the overgrowth. After all, it is impossible to solve a problem without knowing what factors led to its occurrence.
Reasons for the appearance of plum sprouts
Sooner or later, shoots appear around any plum tree. There are varieties of plums that produce basal shoots in less or more. Green shoots always appear in weakened trees that are struggling to survive and thus tend to produce offspring.
Landing errors
If the plum seedling is not planted deeply enough, its roots will come up to the surface and be exposed during heavy rain or artificial watering. Sometimes the roots rush up on their own if they lack nutrients or moisture.
Roots approaching the surface are often injured due to loosening of the soil in the root circle. Trauma often activates the growth of root growth. Young shoots may appear on roots that have emerged from the ground.
If gardeners do not want to face such a problem as root growth in the future, they need to straighten the roots down the poured mound during planting of the seedling, and burrow the tree itself into the ground to the root collar. It is better to mulch the earth in the root circle immediately.
Damage to bark and branches
Too careful sanitary pruning can weaken the tree. Not receiving nutrients from the aboveground organs, the plum activates the growth of young green shoots from the roots located at the surface. Shoots can appear in trees with damaged bark. In this case, the normal supply of nutrients is interrupted. A weakened tree immediately throws out root shoots.
Graft and stock
If the scion and rootstock are chosen incorrectly, they do not fit together, then the plum tree begins to grow slowly, bears poor fruit, and quickly discards its foliage. Trying to survive, plum lets out numerous basal shoots.
Why might you want to remove it?
If the plum grows well, rarely gets sick, gives a high yield, then it is better to remove the root shoots. After all, such shoots take nutrients from the tree and significantly reduce the yield.In addition, the abundance of shoots turns the garden plot into an impenetrable thicket.
The shoots formed on the roots can be left only if the tree is rooted, old, very sick, and bears poor fruit.
The shoots from such a plum can be used as an independent seedling.
How to get rid of overgrown plums on the site
You can clear the root circle from the growth that has appeared in various ways. The easiest way is to prevent the shoots from breaking out of the ground, that is, to cover the soil around the tree with mulch. If sprouts appear, then they are removed not only from the surface. The shoots that have grown out of the ground must be removed to the base, that is, to the root, otherwise they will soon grow again. You can fight overgrowth with chemicals that destroy unwanted vegetation.
Arboricide use
It is possible to deal with the vegetation appearing in the root circle with the help of chemical agents - arboricides (Arsenal, Pikloram, Roundup, Arbonal, Tornado). These are herbicides that destroy basal shoots. Arboricides begin to act only if they fall on the aerial part of the growth. The chemical poison penetrates into the vegetation and leads to its wilting, drying out. Arboricides get on the shoots through irrigation or injection at the base of the tree.
Method for isolating shoots
You can get rid of unwanted overgrowth once and for all if the near-trunk circle is covered with foil, gravel, expanded clay, hay, bark, burlap or straw immediately after planting a seedling. No vegetation will break through the thick layer of mulch. True, in this case, the tree will have to be artificially irrigated, each time raising or raking a layer of mulch.
Mechanical method
Usually, the overgrowth is removed with a secateurs. First, they carefully rake the soil and expose the root from which the shoot has grown. Then a young sprout is cut off with a pruner at the base of the root. The cut site must be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, copper or iron sulfate. Then cover with garden varnish, oil paint, clay or cement mixture. When the treated area dries up, the roots must be covered with earth again.
How to prevent her appearance
Fighting overgrowth is usually carried out every spring - before the start of sap flow, or in late autumn - after leaf fall. In the summer, it is better not to injure the root system of the tree. It is not so easy to get rid of the shoots growing out of the ground, they grow again every season.
New shoots can be prevented by mulching the tree trunk circle with mulch. Shoots will not grow if the ground near the plum is not raked, and watering is carried out carefully, without pressure, without exposing the roots of the tree. It is advisable to pour soil, peat or rotted manure into the trunk circle from time to time. Noticing the sprout that has appeared, you can cut it to a hemp, and then treat it with a herbicide (Glyphos, Hurricane, Tornado).
Plum varieties without sprouts
There are no plums that do not have root shoots. It's just that in some varieties they grow in more, while in others - in less. Some types of plums can produce about 20 root sprouts in one season. Own-rooted trees on roots approaching the surface produce twice as many unnecessary shoots as in trees growing on someone else's stock.
There are varieties of plums that, even with proper care, give abundant growth. These are Italian Hungarian, Local red, Common Hungarian, Ochakovskaya yellow. They form a large number of basal shoots, even if they were used as a grafted seedling. This happens if the graft site was buried in the ground, and the scion moved to its roots.
Less often, basal shoots are formed at plums of the type Renclode Altana, Anna Shpet, Stanley. These varieties have excellent immunity and higher yields.
