All I ever did with pear suckers was prune them back as far as possible. Some resprouted but it wasn't a big problem for me. I've never heard that pruning the sprouts will make them shoot up with more vigor and it certainly wasn't my experience but maybe it depends on the variety.

Herbicides applied to the suckers have the potential to kill or injure the root system so that might not be the best idea.

You might want to contact your local master gardener's program and/or cooperative extension service to see if they have other thoughts.

Good luck, and happy gardening!

I have a friend who uses a product called "Sucker Stop" - at least that's what I believe it is called. She's been using it on ornamentals - I don't know if it is labelled for fruit trees or not. You might check into it.

Herbicide - not recommended

Pruning in the winter can cause them less likely to re-sprout. But if your tree is prone to or somehow in a mode to sucker, then it's just going to keep doing it. I wouldn't count on any product to be 100% effective in stopping this, but it might make the ongoing problem more manageable for you.

Bradford pear is known for it's weak wood. You might consider replacing it with a "better" choice. If you do, plant the new tree a few feet away from the old one.

Thanks for the replies, everyone! My gut told me the poison was a bad idea, but I wondered if anyone had tried it with good results. I'll try pruning in the winter and looking for this sucker stop stuff. And yes, perhaps the local gardener's program would be of help. Is anyone near the detroit area here? Does anyone know of a good group to hook up with? I've always done gardening only as a hobby and all my knowledge is passed down from my parents or read on this or other forums, so I don't know much about the gardening resources in my area. zip is 48116, Brighton, MI Thanks

Hi Brian,

I live in Brighton Township. I am not a member of any of the local gardening groups, so I can't say what they are like. I looked into the Brighton Garden Club in the past, but their meetings are during the day - and I work, so that doesn't fit with my schedule. I heard about a gardening club in Novi/Northville a few weeks ago that I may look into further at some point in time, but I have just been way too busy.

I don't know too much about trees, so I can't be of much help. I have a Chanticleer Pear that I bought at Plymouth Nursery four or five years ago and have not had any problems with suckering. My crab apple suckers like crazy, which I hate.

Here's a link I found to some information on Brighton area clubs and groups, the garden club info is in there.

Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Brighton Clubs, Groups, etc.

Trees tend to put up more suckers when they are under stress. Is the tree under more stress than it should be?

Here is a link that might be useful: Sucker Control