How can I get rid of the tree suckers that are covering my yard, without killing my Bradford Pear tree?

Question

I have a Bradford Pear tree in my front yard and this year I started seeing what I thought were weeds coming up in my yard. I have been to lots of nurseries and no one can tell me how to get rid of them. They are suckers coming up from the roots of my Bradford Pear tree.

Answer 1

This is one of the things I discovered about Bradford Pear Trees sometimes they have been grafted to another tree. At least mine was. I lost 4 in one day from high winds. Luckily my neighbor is a wood carver and took the wood.

Weaknesses of the Bradford Pear,
http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/frederick/2002/bradford_pears.htm
which have only become apparent over time. A combination of plant physiology and physics makes the Bradford very susceptible to wind and ice damage - in fact, it's rare to see an old planting that doesn't have at least one tree missing a substantial chunk of its limbs and trunk. The angle of the Bradford's branches is generally too narrow, and as the tightly-crowded branches grow in girth, the tree begins to push itself apart. At the first strong wind or heavy ice storm, the tree self-destructs.

Sorry to sound so negative but as far as I'm concerned, there is never a good time nor a good place to plant a flowering pear of any kind. They are weak wooded, split in storms due to weak crotch angles and most importantly,..... they are..................
.................highly invasive. ............
The blooms are nice but they only last about a week. And they often smell very bad. Nothing to write home about.

.............I JUST KEPT CUTTING THE... SUCKERS OFF....

Answer 2

First off, I wouldn't be to sure that what you're seeing are suckers. The reason; Suckers grow from the plant itself and are more appropriately called (water suckers) they suck up the plants water supply, much like what a flea does to your dog. Eventually they will kill your plant by sucking up the plants water supply. To remove a sucker from a plant, clip it off with-in an 1/8 inch from the stem. What you are describing, sounds like a new tree growing. Some plants, such as a lilac bush, will have sprouts coming from the root base, known as BABIES. What they need is replanted someplace to grow on their own... What you are describing sounds like babies to me.. Cutting them with a lawn mower should kill them, however if they are babies, that means the pear tree will probably continue to sprout, and you will have to keep cutting your grass to keep them down., Other than that you can go to Lowe's.com, and click on trees and plants, type in your pear tree name and you should get more info there..

Answer 3

if they are coming up out of the grass just run them over with the lawn mower . if they are to close to the trunk best thing u can do is clip them off with a pruners. is your tree rather large? if it is you may want to consider having it topped, not bare but a nice round top so it still looks like a tree. thinning out some of its branches will also help you preserve the life of the tree as they are prone to be blown apart easily.sorry about the suckers but it is the best you can do.

Answer 4

you have to keep the suckers cut, most all trees will develop them at some time. Suckers will rob the water and nutrients from the main plant as well as invite disease and insects. Armed with pruners or lopping shears it becomes part of regular maintenance