Q: I received a gingko tree for a gift but it has lots of suckers (small twigs) at the base. When is the best time to remove them?

A: Many trees produce suckers copiously. Crapemyrtle, crabapple, ornamental cherry and maple trees are famous for making a thicket of sprouts at their base.

Until now, the best advice was to simply prune off the twigs whenever they became objectionable. Ethepon (click for sources) effectively controls suckers. The product is applied immediately after you remove the suckers.