-14- 

 CONTROL OF WATER SPROUTS AND SUCKERS WITH TREE-HOLD* 



William J. Lord and Joseph Sincuk 

 Department of Plant and Soil Sciences 



Water sprouts, which generally are removed to maintain tree 

 form and prevent shading, are particularly troublesome on standard- 

 type Delicious and follo\Nring heavy pruning. Unfortunately, their 

 removal becomes more time consuming in succeeding seasons' because 

 of the proliferation from the stubs created by pruning. Sucker 

 groKth from the trunks and roots of mature seedling trees and in 

 plantings of M.7, M.7A and interstem trees is a serious problem 

 in Massachusetts. Suckers are costly to remove, increase in 

 number annually, provide mouse cover, and are a haven for insects 

 and diseases. 



Recently, Union Carbide Agricultural Products Company received 

 a Federal conditional registration for TRE-HOLD Sprout Inhibitor 

 A112 for control of sprout growth on bearing apples, pears and 

 olives and on ornamental olives, pears and crabapples. 



TRE-HOLD Sprout Inhibitor A112 contains 13.2% 1-Naphthalene- 

 acetic acid equivalent, as the ethylester. This formulation must 

 be diluted before use, with either water or white interior latex 

 paint. 



Tree-Hold diluted in a combination of water and water-base, 

 interior-grade, white latex paint has given good control of water 

 sprouts at our Horticultural Research Station in Belchertown and in 

 grower orchards. However, the results with our trials using Tree- 

 Hold to control suckers under mature Cortland and Early Mcintosh 

 trees on .M7 rootstocks have been disappointing. Tree-Flold was applied 

 under the trees on June 19, 1978, June 8, 1979 and June 4, 1980. 

 Sucker counts have not been made this spring but counts made in the 

 spring of 1980 indicated that the spray applied in 1978 and again in 

 1979 failed to reduce the number of suckers. The failure of Tree- 

 Hold to effectively control the suckers is indeed a disappointment 

 and we believe further trials are needed. Perhaps the Tree-Hold 

 should have been applied earlier when the suckers were smaller. Or 

 perhaps Tree-Hold is more effective for sucker control under younger 

 trees than with which we have been working. We certainly hope that 

 growers will conduct some trials with Tree-Hold for sucker control 

 because grower experiences will add to the information currently being 

 obtained. 



Mixing for Water Sprout and Sucker Control For the control of water 

 sprouts use 10 fluid ounces (2/3 pt) of Tree-Hold and make up to a 

 volume of 1 gallon with a combination of water and interior- grade 

 latexpaint. The latex paint "marks" the treated areas and makes 

 the mixture more viscous, thus restricting the IIAA to the treated area. 

 It has been our experience that at least 4 pints of latex paint should 

 be used in each gallon of treating solution. Be sure to use an 

 interior-grade latex paint and one that does not contain a mildcwcide. 



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