Does anyone know if there's a good way to discourage a hazelnut tree
from constantly sending up shoots all around the base of its trunk?

I keep cutting them off, and new ones keep springing up. It makes it
difficult to trim around the tree with the ever-expanding ring of shoot
stubs.

Argo
http://greenrealm.blogspot.com

In article .com, "Argo"
wrote:

Does anyone know if there's a good way to discourage a hazelnut tree
from constantly sending up shoots all around the base of its trunk?

I keep cutting them off, and new ones keep springing up. It makes it
difficult to trim around the tree with the ever-expanding ring of shoot
stubs.



If the graft is made so low that it is practically "in" the rootstock so
that the tree or shrub can have its graft below the surface, suckering
will either not occur or will be lessened. If the graft is above the soil
surface, there is almost nothing that can be done except keep cutting off
the suckers, which will eventually (if not removed) overwhelm the cultivar
in favor of whatever provided the hardier rootstock.

As a generality, with deciduous trees & shrubs, pruning at high summer
suppresses both leaf growth & sucker growth, whereas spring pruning
encourages both.

For non-organic gardeners there are chemical sucker suppressants like
Orchard Master Broadleaf Herbicide which can be diluted with a surficant
(possibly ammonium sulfate, or whatever might be the individual product's
instructions/directions when used as a sucker suppressant) & applied to
hazel suckers between April & August (a maximum of four times without
killing the tree -- pruning four times would be even better however). With
chemical suppressants, if you intended to harvest the hazel nuts, that
might not be entirely safe until the following year.

Making a routine of sucker removal is usually the best option. If the
graft is simply too high on the trunk, pruning suckers may be required
pretty much forever. But a low graft may only need suckers controlled for
a couple of years before the widening trunk overwhelms the rootstock's
ability to generate its own buds rather than just feed the grafted
cultivar.

Suckers tend to generate from the same spot over & over. Sometimes it is
possible to literally cut that spot out of the rootcrown. Obviously this
can't be done if it is suckering in several places & cutting into the bark
would girdle & serioiusly damage or kill the tree. But if it suckers
continuously from one sput, get a good pruning book out of the library so
you can see drawings of how to cut or core a healable portion out of the
base of the tree.

If you're not speaking of a grafted hazel but a wild specimen, there is
even less to be done about some wild hazels' desire to be big
multi-trunked shrubs rather than upright trees, as the tree form is less
natural. You just have to keep training it until it is quite big around &
the main trunk begins to dominate the roots' ability to do more than
sustain the main tree.

-paghat the ratgirl
--
Get your Paghat the Ratgirl T-Shirt he
http://www.paghat.com/giftshop.html
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to
liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot." -Thomas Jefferson

i dont know if this is of any help at all but someone once told me that if u cut off all the suckers of trees like lilac standards, or such like that once the suckers are off u paint the suckering area with outdoor latex paint. they said that it would help stop or would completely stop the suckering problem.
not sure but would appreciate hearing what anyone else has to say on this as well.
take care, sockiescat.


In article , "Argo"
wrote:

Does anyone know if there's a good way to discourage a hazelnut tree
from constantly sending up shoots all around the base of its trunk?

I keep cutting them off, and new ones keep springing up. It makes it
difficult to trim around the tree with the ever-expanding ring of shoot
stubs.



If the graft is made so low that it is practically "in" the rootstock so
that the tree or shrub can have its graft below the surface, suckering
will either not occur or will be lessened. If the graft is above the soil
surface, there is almost nothing that can be done except keep cutting off
the suckers, which will eventually (if not removed) overwhelm the cultivar
in favor of whatever provided the hardier rootstock.

As a generality, with deciduous trees & shrubs, pruning at high summer
suppresses both leaf growth & sucker growth, whereas spring pruning
encourages both.

For non-organic gardeners there are chemical sucker suppressants like
Orchard Master Broadleaf Herbicide which can be diluted with a surficant
(possibly ammonium sulfate, or whatever might be the individual product's
instructions/directions when used as a sucker suppressant) & applied to
hazel suckers between April & August (a maximum of four times without
killing the tree -- pruning four times would be even better however). With
chemical suppressants, if you intended to harvest the hazel nuts, that
might not be entirely safe until the following year.

Making a routine of sucker removal is usually the best option. If the
graft is simply too high on the trunk, pruning suckers may be required
pretty much forever. But a low graft may only need suckers controlled for
a couple of years before the widening trunk overwhelms the rootstock's
ability to generate its own buds rather than just feed the grafted
cultivar.

Suckers tend to generate from the same spot over & over. Sometimes it is
possible to literally cut that spot out of the rootcrown. Obviously this
can't be done if it is suckering in several places & cutting into the bark
would girdle & serioiusly damage or kill the tree. But if it suckers
continuously from one sput, get a good pruning book out of the library so
you can see drawings of how to cut or core a healable portion out of the
base of the tree.

If you're not speaking of a grafted hazel but a wild specimen, there is
even less to be done about some wild hazels' desire to be big
multi-trunked shrubs rather than upright trees, as the tree form is less
natural. You just have to keep training it until it is quite big around &
the main trunk begins to dominate the roots' ability to do more than
sustain the main tree.

-paghat the ratgirl
--
Get your Paghat the Ratgirl T-Shirt he
http://www.paghat.com/giftshop.html
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to
liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot." -Thomas Jefferson[/quote]

[/quote]

The use of latex paint has been shown to encourage disease and so is no longer reccomended. Much better just to cut them off and leave it at that.

Hazlenuts are a natural for forming a hedge row. Ask Mother Nature.
"Argo" wrote in message
oups.com...
Does anyone know if there's a good way to discourage a hazelnut tree
from constantly sending up shoots all around the base of its trunk?

I keep cutting them off, and new ones keep springing up. It makes it
difficult to trim around the tree with the ever-expanding ring of shoot
stubs.

Argo
http://greenrealm.blogspot.com