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Shoots growing from base of tree, prune or not ?

Hi,

        I have a Ginko biloba and a Silver Birch tree that have branches or shoots coming up from the base of the trunk.  They are about 5 years old and have struggled to take off in comparison to other trees planted around the same time.  Should I cut these shoots off or leave them.  Thanks Suzanne.

 

Answer:

 

Hi Suzanne,

                     It would be best to prune these shoots off,  they will only make the trees unshapely.  As a stress response many trees will shoot from the base,  so they must be doing it tough for some reason.   Also in the case of the Silver birch they are normally grafted, so these shoots will be coming from the graft, which is actually a totally different looking tree to the tree you purchased and could grow much larger.  Best to prune off the shoots and focus on the health of the trees.

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