A sucker emerging from the base of a young tree

This stump is almost entirely obscured by suckers.

A basal shoot or sucker is a shoot or cane which grows from a bud at the base or roots of a tree or shrub. Suckers also may arise from the stumps of trees that have been cut down. Suckers are similar to water sprouts, which are shoots growing from a main branch. Suckers are considered undesirable by horticulturists because they are unsightly and their growth draws energy from the plant. Flower buds have not yet bloomed into a full-size flower. ... Primary and secondary roots in a cotton plant In vascular plants, the root is that organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil (compare with stem). ... The coniferous Coast Redwood, the tallest tree species on earth. ... A broom shrub in flower A shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 6 m tall. ...

Suckers arising from an unwanted tree stump can be controlled with herbicides such as glyphosate. This kills the entire plant, including suckers and roots.^[1] Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine, C3H8NO5P) is a non-selective herbicide to kill weeds, especially perennials. ...

Suckers on a living plant cannot be removed in the same way as suckers from a stump because the application of an herbicide kills the plant. Horticulturists recommend removing suckers on trees and shrubs by tearing them away as close to the base as possible, removing soil if necessary. Tearing the tissues is more destructive than cutting to the buds that give rise to suckers. In extreme cases, the root giving rise to the suckers can be separated from the tree entirely, then treated in the same way as a stump with suckers.^[2]

In a grafted plant, suckers may arise from above the graft or below it. Those arising from the scion may be desirable, but those arising from the rootstock usually are not.^[3] Grafted apple tree Grafting is a method of plant propagation widely used in horticulture, where the tissues of one plant are encouraged to fuse with those of another. ...

References

1. ^ Controlling Sucker Sprouts From Roots and Stumps. CSU/Denver County Cooperative Extension Master Gardener (2006-01-14). Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
2. ^ Horticultural Advice: Tree Suckers. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
3. ^ Definition of suckers. Dave's Garden. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.