I haven't tried to slow down sumac, but that's what is done with running bamboo. You might look at the bamboo thread for how it is contained. It probably will depend on how deep the suckers go. I like the look of sumac, too. Good luck.
Norm

Hello from Texas! :)
I love the look of Sumacs and last year mail ordered a Rhus Glabra (Smooth Sumac) and a Staghorn from Nursery Hills. The Staghorn didn't make it though and broke my heart. Would either one of you be willing to share a small sucker if I pay for postage? Pretty please...You can email me and I have other plant material I would gladly share.

wonder if perhaps planting it in a large enough bucket would work??
I too am planning on planting some staghorn sumac. I am aware fo the sucker issue, but am willing too put up with that too give it a try. Is there a best time too transplant??Any suggested diameter? I assume in the Spring. We have many that grow in the ditches in our area.I understand that they grow 18inches a year, although i am eager too have them as tall as possible too start with.

I also read about planting staghorn sumac in a bucket (without a bottom) in the earth to contain the suckers. I would like to do the same -- actually have even thought of using a small (4 foot diameter) kiddie swimming pool, about 10 inches deep, cut out the bottom, and bury it in the ground up to the lip. Will that be enough to contain the suckering? I really like the look of staghorn sumac, but there are so many people that say "WAIT, don't do it!" that have given me pause ... (put pause here) ...
Anyone have any good advice on the subject?

I love the fact that Staghorn Sumac can help wildlife survive winter. But spreading their roots into my garden beds is a nono. I will try the trench idea, I do have lots of plastic bags to recycle at the end of the growing seasons. Once my land was covered with large red oaks and pines. But a fire destroyed 3 of 5 acres. Since then the sumac have been growing like crazy. I'd love to find a way of solving this problem without creating a new one.

My neighbour planted about four Staghorn Sumacs a number of years ago. Her backyard is covered in landscape fabric. Instead of the suckers coming up in her yard, they came up in mine. I have a steep, dry, rocky slope in my yard which makes it difficult to do anything with. The Sumacs have spread all over my backyard, much to my delight!! My neighbour still has only the first few she planted and rarely has suckers except where the ground isn't covered in fabric. The neighbor on the otherside of me has a thick cement and rock wall and some garden beds filled with snow in summer. I even bought another Staghorn Sumac to put on the side of the yard that didn't have them yet. I live in Kelowna BC and they grow wild here as well. My backyard is gorgeous in the fall and it has solved my hopeless barren slope issue - plus the best part, they rarely if ever need watering. The first few that grew in my yard came out of nowhere and were never watered.

Hello, I've read about Staghorn Sumacs and have decided to plant one in my front and backyard. I dug up three wild ones at my ranch property that were about 1-1/2 to 2 feet tall. I dug down to where the sucker T'd off to come up to make the tree & including about a foot of sucker on each side. I put them in a bucket with water in the bottom. About 4 hours later I transplanted them. The one in the front looked like the wind had whipped the leaves and they were drooping bad. About 2 days later the leaves are all dried up but haven't fallen off, 8 days later still haven't fallen off. The one in the back looks like it might make it, it's between dead looking and healthy. Then I planted a 3rd one in a pot which has lost all of it's leaves but I think the water didn't drain out of the bottom of this pot and killed it that way. For these things to live in dire straits in the wild they sure are picky when they moved to my house. Did I do anything wrong in transplanting them and suggestions? Thanks