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Bob is looking odd

Started by Jeff, March 27, 2013, 11:33:39 AM

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Jeff

We have a tree here that was given to us by our neighbors when Tammy's dad died about 14 years ago. We actually call the Tree Bob, after Tammy's dad. It is some sort of flowering crab.  The last couple years, I've noticed some growth on the inner part of Bob that looks really different from the rest. Everything about it seems different. Bark, branching pattern. I guess I don't know if the leaves are different.  I am guessing the Tree is a graft. Is it possible for the original root grafting stock to put out growth different than what the tree is?

Hopefully you can see the difference in these photos.  I'm also wondering if I should prune all of this out before spring hits?



  

  

  

  

  

 
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

RynSmith

They look like old (and some newer) suckers to me.  It seems to me like they grow extra fast and straight because they are being shaded by the mature part of the tree...
???  ???

beenthere

Just looks like new sucker growth to me too. Like an apple tree, prune out the suckers to keep the center more open and whatever else needs pruning to keep the tree the shape and size that you want.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Jeff

I've got a lower branch that I don't want to cut off, but am going to anyhow. It has stuck me in the head twice now trying to get under it with the mower. It's going to make it a bit lopsided, but it will have to adjust.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

OneWithWood

Or...you could let Wildflower mow that patch  :)  smiley_smash
One With Wood
LT40HDG25, Woodmizer DH4000 Kiln

Jay C. White Cloud

Hi Jeff,

Crabs are beautiful little trees, those sucker growth eruptions are a bit to old, but in the future, (they will come right back,) you can train them to grow in a more bowed or horizontal shape with tie backs and weights.  I see what you mean by a little lopsided.  You could try bending the smaller of the two and see what happens.  Bend it from the top down to a stake.  Tighten a little more each week or after a rain.  Hope that helps.

Regards,

jay
"To posses an open mind, is to hold a key to many doors, and the ability to created doors where there were none before."

"When it is all said and done, they will have said they did it themselves."-teams response under a good leader.

VT_Forestry

Yup, they are suckers like everyone else has mentioned.  We used to cut them out of the trees as kids and cut them into discs for smoking on the grill :)
Forester - Newport News Waterworks

brendonv

Nothing abnormal.  Instead of making it into a loli pop, why not do a larger mulch ring.  That way you won't have to weed wack, hit your head, or damage the cambium.   ;D

Looks like a flowering plum though...

Pink flowers?
"Trees live a secret life only revealed to those that climb them"

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low_48

My neighbor had a crab apple that had a golden delicious section up the middle. Both are dead now, neighbor and tree, so can't get you any history. Your post just reminded me of it, so not really much help. Found this odd arrangement. One tree with up to 6 different fruits on it.  http://www.fruitsaladtrees.com/Fruit-Salad-Tree

SwampDonkey

Used to be a huge big old crab in front of the school. It would still be there, except the town figured a war memorial looked nicer there. Nothing against the memorial, but it's a school and not a military college. ;)

Yeah those things are best kept pruned and shaped or all that growth grows up and turns them bushy.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

mesquite buckeye

Have you had any drought recently, or could there be some damage from fireblight? Usually heavy watersprouting like this is an indication of either overpruning, which I see no signs of, or some kind of problem that the tree is trying to recover from.

If the tree was grafted and the rootstock was sprouting, you would see suckering from below the graft, which is usually lower on the tree that where this is happening.

Hope your tree is ok. I would leave most of the sprouts at the moment, watching for the general health of the tree to reveal itself as the buds pop this spring...., which should be soon, no?
Manage 80 acre tree farm in central Missouri and Mesquite timber and about a gozillion saguaros in Arizona.

beenthere

QuoteI would leave most of the sprouts at the moment, watching for the general health of the tree to reveal itself as the buds pop this spring....,
;)
And I'd be removing the sprouts before the buds pop, to put more 'energy' into the growth that you want, not in the suckers that are trying to take over. Looks like these suckers are maybe a couple years old now and were missed when they were their youngest.
If there are dead, dry limbs elsewhere indicating poor health, take them out as well. Just my opinion, and 2 cents
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Jay C. White Cloud

Hi Jeff,

Beenthere has a real important point about this little tree.  From a arbor and pruning care perspective, that little tree seems to have missed a season or two of pruning, or there is something triggering that robust sucker, (replacement) growth.  I would, (spring is here) as quickly as you can, remove all dead wood you find in the tree first, then remove all of the vertical suckers, unless you plan on training some of them to grow down, or in another shape you choose.

If you are finding the majority of the old branches are dead at the tips, particularly on the limbs with robust suckers growth, something else is going on, and those suckers are replacement limbs.  Let us know what you find.

Regards,

jay
"To posses an open mind, is to hold a key to many doors, and the ability to created doors where there were none before."

"When it is all said and done, they will have said they did it themselves."-teams response under a good leader.

Jeff

No dead branches.  Also, I'm pretty sure the little fruit on it are crab apples.  It is recovering from a frost crack from a few years ago. I thought it was history when I observed the crack that winter. It was probably a foot long and opened up a half inch.  I've never pruned the inner part of the tree, as I thought that was simply done to fruit trees where you wanted fruit.
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Jay C. White Cloud

Hi Jeff,

That crack might well be the catalyst that made those suckers take off the way they did. Crab apples are wonderful little trees, but can go feral on you real quick.  If you don't mind the look that is fine, but they can get scary looking real quick, and taming them back down is a challenge.  They may even look kinda scrawny for a few years after a hard prune to get them back in shape.  It is as much an art, as a science, when it comes to pruning trees, especially those in the topiary class, like crabs.

Regards,

jay
"To posses an open mind, is to hold a key to many doors, and the ability to created doors where there were none before."

"When it is all said and done, they will have said they did it themselves."-teams response under a good leader.

SwampDonkey

Used to have the kind of crab apples you canned here in the old orchard. Apple trees of the old times here grew up tall, not the dwarfed ones like now. We used to can some of those old crab apples with cloves and sugar and other spices I'm sure. On my yard crab apple, if there are any left from last fall the robins pick on them when they arrive from the south in April.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

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