What to do with suckers when collecting American hornbeam Yamadori

[bonsaibandit]

A question for those with experience collecting American hornbeam. When collecting an American hornbeam Yamadori, which I would prefer to style as a single trunk and already has good nebari and taper, should I remove the suckers at the base? Of note, this tree does not have any branches below the trunk chop site (other than the suckers). My concern is that if I don’t remove the suckers the tree will just allow the suckers to become the new trunk and not create any new buds on the actual trunk I want to use. But I also worry that without the suckers there will not be any initial leaves to help drive root growth this spring. Would love to hear what experienced American hornbeam collectors have to saw. Thank you

 

[esean]

A healthy C. caroliniana will bud from a bare trunk, so I'd cut off the suckers. However, I wonder why it has them in the first place. I rarely see them unless the main trunk has been damaged enough to trigger those low dormant buds to grow.

 

[Gabler]

I see them frequently. I'd say about a third of them have suckers in my area.

 

[pandacular]

However, I wonder why it has them in the first place. I rarely see them unless the main trunk has been damaged enough to trigger those low dormant buds to grow.

A salient point; on a tree (i.e. not a shrub, but an apically dominant plant) suckers can be an indicator of an issue with the plants

 

[Gabler]

A salient point; on a tree (i.e. not a shrub, but an apically dominant plant) suckers can be an indicator of an issue with the plants

About half the trees I encounter have damage from borers. I would also add that it's not as apically dominant as a canopy tree. I'd say it's halfway between a tree and a shrub.

 

[esean]

Maybe its related to the amount of light? I have thousands on my place. Most are growing under a fairly closed hardwood canopy and develop single trunks. There are occasional multi-trunk trees, but rarely any root suckers.

 

[bonsaibandit]

Thank you for the responses, I decided to remove the suckers. I previously did not think much of a small hole in what I planned for the back of the tree but after you @Gabler mentioned borers I probed it with a piece of wire and the hole appear to go into the center of the trunk and then extend at least and inch up the inside of the tree where I would guess the heartwood to be. I am guessing this is likely from a prior borer attack. Based on this finding would you recommend destroying the tree and avoiding collecting from that area in the future?

 

[DeepSouth]

Thank you for the responses, I decided to remove the suckers. I previously did not think much of a small hole in what I planned for the back of the tree but after you @Gabler mentioned borers I probed it with a piece of wire and the hole appear to go into the center of the trunk and then extend at least and inch up the inside of the tree where I would guess the heartwood to be. I am guessing this is likely from a prior borer attack. Based on this finding would you recommend destroying the tree and avoiding collecting from that area in the future?

Borers are all over the place, and they especially enjoy hornbeams. It’s not necessary to destroy the tree in my opinion or to stop collecting that area. I treat all hornbeams with a granular systemic insecticide. And keep an eye out for fresh sawdust (usually collects at the base of the tree), which would indicate an active beetle.

 

[esean]

Like D.S. said, borers are a natural part of the environment of the tree, a certain percentage will always have them. Unless you're talking about some highly aggressive non-native pest, I wouldn't worry about it. Wild trees evolved with all sorts of pests. Most continue living just fine.