American Hornbeam

[Baron von Smoogle]

I think I know the answer to this but here goes anyway.
I collected this American Hornbeam back in February. There were not a lot of feeder roots on it. I potted it up into a mix of pumice, Turface, pine bark, and biochar.
It has started putting out buds and leaves now. The first and most of the leaves are on a sucker.
Now the question. Should I leave the sucker until next year or should I remove it after more leaves pop over the next couple of months?
MY answer would be to leave the sucker until next year to allow the energy form the leaves to help build the roots.

 

[bonsaibandit]

No experience but I collected a hornbeam in early spring this year and decided to remove the sucker prior to leafing out with the hopes the energy would be redirected into making new buds higher on the trunk, I’ll let you know how the opposite approach goes in a few months…

My guess would be to leave it now that it has leafed out so the tree can recover some of the energy it put into leafing out from photosynthesis then either chop it after the first flush hardens off if you have good growth higher up or just wait and chop it next year

 

[AshleyMammal]

I’d be worried if there were no buds high up on the main trunks but it looks like you’ve got plenty! I would personally leave the sucker as it is until the leaves harden off.

 

[Baron von Smoogle]

I’d be worried if there were no buds high up on the main trunks but it looks like you’ve got plenty! I would personally leave the sucker as it is until the leaves harden off.

I do have at least one bud popping at the top of each trunk and several lower down on the main trunk.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

Keep it for strength. It doesn't hurt that it's in the back either

 

[bwaynef]

If you're choosing to keep the sucker for the foreseeable future, I'd work to weaken it so that relatively, more energy would be put into the trunk. That could be through cutting the tips, or simply removing the outermost leaves.

 

[Kanorin]

If you're choosing to keep the sucker for the foreseeable future, I'd work to weaken it so that relatively, more energy would be put into the trunk. That could be through cutting the tips, or simply removing the outermost leaves.

This is a good middle ground. If you at least prune off the leading bud from the sucker, that will send a signal to the tree (lack of auxin in that shoot) to send more energy to the main trunks.

 

[BobbyLane]

If you're choosing to keep the sucker for the foreseeable future, I'd work to weaken it so that relatively, more energy would be put into the trunk. That could be through cutting the tips, or simply removing the outermost leaves.

I recently did this on a Beech sucker, the size of its buds were stupendous compared to other areas in the tree. Removed the growing tips on it, down to a leaf.

 

[Timbo]

I'd cut it just above the first branch on the sucker and let it help thicken the base for a few years, depending on how big of a scar you want to heal over.

 

[Baron von Smoogle]

I removed the tips of all the branches/ tip on the sucker.

 

[Baron von Smoogle]

The tree has put out quite a few more buds and leaves so I decided to remove the large sucker last week. I like the way the base looks now so I didn't need to keep it to bulk up the lower trunk. I will remove one of the trunks next year but, for now, I will let it grow more root mass.