Lilac and crabapple trees are well-known favorites in Edmonton. Lilacs have beautiful purple flowers that smell wonderful, and they make great hedges to surround your property and give you some privacy. In the spring and early summer, crabapple blossoms are a common sight in parks and gardens, where their pink and burgundy flowers look beautiful. These trees are all about aesthetics, so of course, we want to keep them looking their best!.
Too bad these trees can get tree suckers, which grow when it’s warm outside and the trees start to bloom. Even though these trees often get suckers, that doesn’t mean you can’t get rid of them and keep your trees looking great! Read on to learn more about how to get rid of suckers from your beautiful flowering trees.
Lilacs are treasured for their fragrant spring blooms and low maintenance nature. But aggressive new shoots can make them unruly. Left unchecked, lilac suckers and sprouts ruin the plant’s form and vigor. Learn effective strategies to remove unwanted growth and keep your lilacs shapely and flowering beautifully.
What Causes Excess Lilac Shoots?
Lilacs form abundant suckers and waterspouts for a couple reasons
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Vigorous Root System – Lilac roots spread wide and sprout new shoots. Removing these controls spread.
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Pruning Response – Cutting off mature stems triggers a flush of new growth Proper pruning technique prevents this
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Plant Stress – Damage, low nutrients, or other stressors spur excessive shoots. Address underlying issues.
While lilac shoots are a nuisance, controlling them and improving growing conditions keeps plants thriving.
Types of Bothersome Lilac Shoots
Two kinds of new growth may need removal on lilacs:
Suckers – Shoots sprouting from the roots and base of the shrub. These popup some distance from the main plant.
Waterspouts – Fast vertical shoots that develop along the stems of the shrub itself. These form within the shrub canopy.
Both suckers and waterspouts divert energy from the main plant if left unchecked. Removing them improves plant vigor.
When to Remove Lilac Shoots
Plan to prune out excess lilac shoots:
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Spring – Remove suckers as soon as the ground thaws.
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Summer – Eliminate waterspouts as they appear through the season.
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Fall – Clean up unwanted new growth before winter dormancy.
Regular removal a few times per year prevents them from establishing. This trains the plant to focus energy on flowering.
How to Get Rid of Lilac Suckers
Follow these steps to remove lilac suckers:
Identify Suckers
Scan the base of plants and surrounding ground for new shoots sprouting from the roots. These occur some distance from the main stem.
Remove While Small
Pull or dig out suckers when first emerging and less than 8 inches tall. Grab low and pull firmly.
Cut Larger Suckers
Use pruners or loppers to cut larger suckers off cleanly at ground level.
Uproot Persistent Suckers
For suckers with established root systems, carefully dig out the root mass. Prune any remaining root.
Vigilant sucker removal while they are young and tender prevents regrowth. Mature suckers take more effort to uproot completely.
How to Prune Out Lilac Waterspouts
Use these methods to prune away waterspouts:
Identify Waterspouts
Look for fast growing shoots coming from leaf axils and the trunk, especially after pruning. These grow upright within the shrub.
Rub Off New Sprouts
Pinch or rub off emerging sprouts quickly to avoid harming the plant.
Prune Mature Waterspouts
Use sharp bypass hand pruners to cut off larger waterspouts back to their point of origin.
Remove Sprouts as They Appear
Keep checking for waterspouts through spring and summer. Pruning frequently prevents them taking hold.
Promptly pinching off young sprouts is easiest. Cutting established waterspouts controls mature shoots.
Improving Growing Conditions
Prevent rampant lilac shoots by improving cultural practices:
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Prune properly – Avoid shearing off main limbs which triggers waterspouts.
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Water regularly – Drought stressed plants produce more shoots.
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Fertilize occasionally – Promote growth in main plant, not shoots.
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Loosen soil – Dense, compacted earth discourages good root growth.
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Mulch around plant – Retains moisture and suppresses weeds.
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Increase sunlight – Poorly lit areas spur leggy shoot growth.
Addressing issues makes the main plant more vigorous so it produces fewer nuisance shoots.
When Shoots Indicate Problems
Excess shoots can signal issues requiring prompt care:
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Damaged branches – Prune back to healthy wood.
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Root damage from construction – Improve drainage and topdress roots.
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Nutrient deficiency – Test soil and amend accordingly.
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Disease or pests – Diagnose and treat any problems present.
In these cases, remove shoots and remedy underlying conditions for lasting results.
Know When to Remove Shoots
Allow some new lilac shoots to remain:
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Temporary filler in sparse shrubs.
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Replace older canes routinely. Lilacs bloom on 2 year old wood.
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Fill in gaps left by severe pruning or dieback.
But prune out the majority to maintain a healthy, shapely plant that focuses energy on flowering.
Enjoy Flowering, Not Shoots
Unchecked lilac shoots steal energy from the rest of the plant, reducing flowering and vigor. But methodical removal of suckers and waterspouts keeps growth focused where you want it. Know when and how to prune out new shoots. Combine with proper plant care for a landscape filled with profuse, fragrant lilac blooms instead of unruly shoots!
How to Pull Up Tree Suckers on Your Crabapple or Lilac Tree
Tree suckers may seem frustrating because they will grow back once you cut them off. Short-term pruning is a good way to keep the tree looking good, but both lilacs and crabapples are prone to suckers, so the best thing to do is get to the root. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to get rid of your tree suckers.
You can start removing tree suckers by tearing them away from the tree’s base. If the suckers are small enough, you can just put on some leather gloves and start pulling. You may also want to use a hatchet to wrap around the stems and give you some leverage.
If your tree suckers are really stubborn, you might find it easier to dig around them to get to the base of the suckers. You can get to it better this way, and it might help you figure out if you can just pull the suckers out or if you need to cut it at the base with pruning shears.
What Are Tree Suckers?
Tree suckers are branches that grow from the bottom of the tree trunk. They could be tree grafts or signs that your tree is stressed and trying to grow more branches. Taking care of your lilac or crabapple tree is important if it starts to grow shrub-like plants that look like small trees at the base. It’s best to catch this when the plants first appear so that you can make your tree look good as soon as possible. It is important to keep in mind that pruning a plant while it is growing and establishing its roots may cause it stress.
Propagate Lilac Shoots or Suckers – Easiest Way to Start Lilacs!
How do you get rid of lilac roots?
Avoid spraying herbicide on any suckers still connected to the parent plant. You might also try surrounding your plant with a 6” – 12” deep underground barrier, such as buried metal or plastic landscape edging, to try to contain the roots. If your lilac is well established, its roots likely go deeper than this, but it can help.
How to get rid of old lilac bushes?
The difficulty of getting rid of aged lilac bushes can be solved by taking them out. The dirt can be made more pliable by generously watering the area around the plant. If the plant is young, you can try taking the roots out by hand. To reveal the roots, dig deeply on all sides with a shovel and a hoe. Remove the entire rootball using the shovel.
How do you kill lilac suckers?
An herbicide with the ingredients glyphosate or triclopyr (not both) should work. You do not need other herbicides mixed in. Fall is a good time to apply these as plants transport down to the roots this time of year in preparation for winter. Glyphosate is a total vegetation killer. Shield any desirable plants nearby. Target only the lilac suckers.
How do you take care of a lilac tree?
With a spade or shovel dig around the shrub in a circle as wide as the drip line (to the edge of the crown). Lilacs send out shoots to this distance and sometimes beyond. You will need to dig deeply enough to get under the root ball. Remove as much of the root and soil as you can as this is key to preventing future regrowth and suckers.
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