Q: I have a crape myrtle that keeps growing shoots at the base. It’s pretty thick. How can I stop them?

A: This is a great time to remove trunk sprouts (suckers) on maple, crape myrtle, crabapple, flowering cherry, etc. The sprouts will otherwise steal water and nutrients from the rest of the tree.

Try your best to remove entire sprouts, close to the trunk. Don’t leave a stub. If you don’t get the whole thing it will likely re-sprout again.

A product called “Sucker Stopper” can be sprayed on the cut stub to further prevent sprouting.