Tree root sprouts, commonly called suckers, sometimes grow around the base of several tree species, including crabapple. Crabapple trees (Malus) are in the Rosaceae family, and many varieties, like “Profusion” and “Indian Summer,” are hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8. When a crabapple tree is beneath a certain amount of anxiety, it starts to spread itself by creating shoots, or suckers, from its root system. All these suckers drain energy and other resources from the parent plant, causing more pressure for the tree and also more suckers. The best method to prevent a crabapple tree from generating suckers is to take preventive measures and keep the tree as healthful as possible. Factors like drought, overwatering, extensive pruning, diseases and insects threaten and pressure that a crabapple tree.
Establish a watering hose at the bottom of the crabapple tree, and use it to water the tree throughout the growing season when mud isn’t adequate. Adjust the faucet or hose nozzle so water trickles gradually from the hose, and water the tree to soil depth of at least 12 inches.
Sprinkle granular fertilizer around the tree’s base after each month from March through October. Utilize a granular fertilizer composed of 4 components nitrogen, 1 part and 3 parts potassium The amount of fertilizer to apply is dependent on tree size and ought to be from the fertilizer package’s instructions.
Remove weak and broken branches from within the tree’s canopy using pruning shears in early spring. Make each cut at a 45-degree angle just above a leaf node or lateral branch. Keep healthful growth that is less than 3 years old. Do not prune away more than one-third of the tree’s canopy.
Put a 4-inch thick layer of organic mulch around the base of the tree, keeping it 3 inches from the trunk. Mulch conserves moisture and also restricts competitive weeds from growing.
Cut to ground level sucker shoots that develop from the tree’s roots. Remove them with a sharp shovel as soon as they form by using heavy plunges using the shovel and working in a circular motion.
Cut each sucker growing from the tree’s trunk with pruning shears just above the branch collar, which is the slightly enlarged area in which the sucker and trunk match.