I bought 3 plum trees earlier this year.
One of them has started sprouting several shoots/branches from the bottom (at the soil) these are now about a foot tall. Can anyone tell me what I should do with them? please?
I can get a photo, if you need to see?
Sounds like they are coming from the rootstock, and will probably be very vigorous shoots. It's not really desirable to let them grow.
Have found that high summer is the best time to get rid of these. Try just pulling sharply down to pull them off.
Sometimes this works fine, other times you may find that they are just too strong to come off just using fingers. In cases like that, you can try using pliers, I find this works well. Have found that if they are cut, they tend to come back with a vengeance, so try not to use the secateurs if you can help it.
If you do, cut close to the tree but don't damage the area they are coming from.
Some advise you to leave cutting them until winter, but in my experience the problem gets even worse if you do it then.
One reason the shoots come is that the base of the tree may have been knocked by hoeing, so that's something to bear in mind.
thanks for that info.
My 3 are in large pots so hoeing not an issue, unless, it happened whilst they were in the nursery.
Will try and deal with these shoots at the weekend. x
Sandra x