![]() Alternatively, you can use a full-strength household disinfectant such as Lysol. Make a solution of one part household bleach and nine parts water. They may regrow if you leave a little of the original growth.ĭisinfecting your pruners between cuts can go a long way toward preventing the spread of disease. You should cut as close as possible to the parent branch, but even so, you may not be able to get the entire base of the sprout. Once the base of the sprout hardens and becomes woody, you’ll have to cut them off with pruners. At this point, you can pull them off by hand. Try to catch them when they are no more than 12 inches (31 cm.) long. Winter dormancy is the proper time for pruning an apple tree, but you should prune to remove water sprouts and suckers as soon as they arise in late spring or early summer. You can easily pluck them off with your fingers when they first emerge. Trees that have been renovated after a long period of neglect may have an abundance of water sprouts the following summer. Water sprouts on apple trees usually arise from places on the trunk or branch where the bark has been injured or from pruning wounds. Removing water sprouts also eliminates unnecessary foliage so that sunlight and fresh air can reach deep inside the canopy of the tree. Pruning apple tree sucker growth and water sprouts helps to keep the tree healthy because the unwanted growth is weak with little defense against invasion by insects and diseases. They are also called suckers, although this term more accurately refers to growth that arises from the roots rather than the trunk and branches.Īpple tree growers remove water sprouts so that the tree can direct all of its energy toward supporting productive branches. Most water sprouts serve no useful purpose and will never produce much fruit. Water sprouts are thin shoots that arise from the trunk or branches of an apple tree. Find out what causes unsightly water sprouts and what to do about them in this article. ![]() Apple tree water sprouts drain vital energy from a tree without providing any benefit in return.
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