soomack Tree

[loelliott]

I have cut down my tree - sadly, due to severe off shoots popping up all over the lawn, roots raising the patio etc. Anyway this was Sept. Now the new shoots are STILL popping up, even though the tree is no longer. What can I do? I really want to dig out the root and plant something else in its place.

[gen2]

Hi loelliot,  I am trying to avoid the problem by growing a staghorn sumach in a large container.  I don't know how successful this will be as I only got it last year and it is still small.
Now to answer your problem.  BBC Gloucestershire's Gardening Guru Reg Moule gave the following advice to the same question asked by someone on this site:

Gardening with Reg Moule

"Yes you are quite right, if you cut the plant right down you will get lots and lots of these unwanted shoots, known as "suckers" appearing all over the rooting area of the shrub. Unfortunately Sumach (Rhus) is very prone to suckering and this is one of the reasons for its demise in popularlity particularly with gardens getting smaller. There is no easy, magic method of getting over this problem but this is how I would tackle it.
Visit your local gardening emporium and get a bottle of either Murphy Tumbleweed Extra Strong Gel or Growing Success Deep Root Gel. Both of these are translocated herbicides that you paint on to the foliage of the suckers, so that you keep the weedkiller off plants that you wish to keep. The weedkiller then passes throughout the system of the sucker killing it off, but be warned that this can take 2-3 weeks to work. Of course some of the herbicide will pass into the main roots of the shrub but there will not be sufficient to do it much harm. Any attempt to dig out the offending suckers will result in them returning in even greater numbers as breaking the roots helps to encourage them.
With Best Wishes, Reg."

Hope this helps, gen2

[loelliott]

Thanks Gen2 thats brilliant, I shall be hot footing it to the garden centre and will let you know if it works!  Thansk again