Live Oak

12 years ago

Howdy! Well, I've been fighting these for quite awhile now and I'm tried of cutting them back, only to have them grow back in a few months. I've used several different types of recommended chemicals to no avail and I've covered them up, only to have them grow through mesh or push up heavy duty traps.

They're part of the root system of a live oak tree. I have two more within 30 feet of this one and their root systems doesn't produce these little critters (I'm not actually sure what they're called). I've let one grow to see just how big it will get. It's grown to about 6 foot tall with a trunk of about 1 1/4 inch within two years and it appears to have pretty much stopped growing up.

Anyways, I would like to know exactly what they are, what's their purpose, if any, and how do I prevent them from growing without killing the tree.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

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Comments (7)

brandon7 TN_zone7
12 years ago
I can't tell what I'm seeing in the picture, but, from your description, I guess we're talking suckers popping up from the base of your tree?

These could be due to different things. If the tree is grafted, the sprouts may be from below the graft. It's not unusual for grafted trees to sucker more than their non-grafted equivalents. Also, if the upper part of your tree is damaged or suffering loss of vigor for some reason, that may also be a cause of suckering. Look up into the tree's canopy and see what it looks like compared to the other similar trees that aren't suckering. Do you see many dead or bare limbs (especially at the outer edge of the canopy)?

Removing the suckers when they are small by pulling them off, rather than cutting them off, will often slow down future suckers a little bit better. Vigilantly removing them as soon as they emerge also reduces the growth of more latent buds, in that area, that will turn into suckers later on.
salicaceae
12 years ago
Some individuals of live oak naturally form dense colonies of suckers (just due to natural genetic variation). These are a problem when planted in lawns. The best approach for the tree is to just prune them off.
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RickyRay
Original Author
12 years ago
Here's a different view of the problem area around the base of the tree.
RickyRay
Original Author
12 years ago
From your reply and what I've read online about "Suckers" there's not a whole lot that can be done without damaging the tree, which I do not want to do. Thinking about building a raised deck around it to prevent sunlight reaching them and hopefully stopping their growth.

I really do appreciate your time and knowledge... Thanks!
jfacendola
12 years ago
Could be sand live oak, Quercus geminata. They can grow with up to 80 percent of the tree underground, and form a shrubby thicket. They grow here in the coastal NC long leaf pine savannas and basically just look like the top of a big live oak that was buried and is sticking out of the ground. Maybe you have a sand live oak growing under your larger live oak? Or your live oak is a sand live oak. You can tell by the shape and veins of an adult leaf.
poaky1
12 years ago
You have your zone in the first post listed as zone 6. Are these live oak suckers coming up at a more southern area than zone 6? I have some Live oak trees in zone 6, but understand it is rarely tried in zone 6. Either way if you have a tree alongside these suckers, I would try and smother them with what you see fit, MULCH, WEED BLOCK, STRAW etc.
salicaceae
12 years ago
It could be sand live oak, I agree. But, it doesn't have to be. I have seen plenty of Q. virginiana do this around here.