Clearing Water Sprouts and Root Suckers From a Backyard Apple Tree With a 32-Inch Bypass Lopper: Collar Cuts With No Stubs at Dormant Pruning, Then Rubbing Off Regrowth From May to July

Bypass lopper cutting an upright water sprout from a bare apple tree branch

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Once the leaves drop, the straight, whip-like shoots on an apple tree are easy to see, some standing up from the scaffold branches and others coming up around the trunk base. A 32-inch bypass lopper reaches into the canopy and down to the soil line to take them off cleanly. Then a summer habit of rubbing off new shoots keeps them from coming back as thick.

What is the difference between water sprouts and suckers on an apple tree?

Water sprouts are fast, upright shoots growing from the trunk or scaffold branches, usually without side branches. Suckers grow from the roots or from the trunk at or below the ground line, often from the rootstock. Remove both at their point of origin, leaving the collar but no stub.

University of Illinois Extension's Making Pruning Cuts defines both and lists removing them among its general pruning rules. It says to cut at the outer edge of the collar, leaving the collar intact but no stub, because latent buds on a stub may start growing. It prefers removing water sprouts and suckers in May, June, and July over cutting them during the dormant season.

Utah State University Extension's Managing Suckers Around Fruit Trees separates crown suckers right around the trunk from root suckers farther out. It notes that suckers can harbor woolly apple aphid and give fire blight a way in, and that rootstocks such as M.7 for apples are predisposed to suckering. When only a few suckers are present, they are often removed during dormant pruning.

Which Cut for Which Shoot

Shoot Where it starts Tool Cut
Water sprout Trunk or scaffold Lopper At the collar, no stub
Crown sucker Trunk base Lopper Flush at origin
Root sucker Root away from trunk Lopper Dig to root, cut there
New green shoot Anywhere, May-July Hand Rub or snap off

The lopper handles the woody shoots from last season. The tender ones that appear next summer come off with a gloved thumb before they harden.

Materials and Tools

  • 32-inch bypass lopper for sprouts and suckers too thick for hand pruners
  • Hand pruners for pencil-thin shoots
  • A hand trowel to expose root suckers below the soil
  • Rubbing alcohol and a rag to clean the blades between trees
  • Leather gloves and safety glasses

Dormant Cleanup Steps

  1. Start with the dead wood. Remove dead, broken, or diseased branches first so you can see the structure.
  2. Find each water sprout's base. Follow the shoot down to where it leaves the branch or trunk.
  3. Cut at the collar. Set the lopper's blade side toward the trunk and cut just outside the slight swelling at the base, leaving no stub.
  4. Clear the crown. Cut crown suckers flush where they leave the trunk or rootstock, without nicking the trunk bark.
  5. Expose root suckers. Scrape the soil back with the trowel and cut each sucker where it leaves the root.
  6. Clean the blades. Wipe the lopper with alcohol before moving to the next tree, especially where fire blight has shown up.
  7. Haul off the cuttings. Remove the shoots from under the tree.
  8. Rub off regrowth in summer. From May to July, walk the tree and snap off soft new shoots by hand while they're still green.

Pruning Safety

  • Keep your free hand on the lopper handle, not on the shoot being cut
  • Wear safety glasses when cutting overhead
  • Use a stable stepladder on level ground, never the top step
  • Don't reach out past your shoulders with the lopper extended

Trunk protection against winter gnawing is covered in rabbit- and vole-proofing young fruit trees. Training a flat apple against wires is covered in building a 16-foot freestanding apple espalier.

If gophers are working the roots where you dig for root suckers, see how to make gopher baskets for trees. For basket material, choose from the hardware cloth mesh size and gauge guide.

FAQ

Can I leave one water sprout to fill a gap?

Yes. University of Maryland Extension notes that you can train one or more sprouts to replace missing branches. Pick one growing outward and remove the rest.

Why do more suckers come back after I cut them?

USU Extension notes that cutting a single sucker can sometimes lead to several new shoots. Cut at the point of origin so no stub is left with latent buds, and rub off regrowth while it is soft.

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