Pruning my American Holly suckers

Question

I had an old American Holly tree cut down. I was told that the suckers from the stump would form a Holly bush if I left them in place. Is this true? How long would it take to grow a bunch of suckers? How would I prune these suckers to make them bushier?

Answer 1

Yes, you can grow a new plant from the suckers, provided the plant was not a graft. It is unusual for hollies to be grafted, so you should be ok.

Select a few of the strongest looking suckers and prune out all the rest. Then allow the suckers to grow. As long as you are cultivating just a few of the strongest, they should fill out on their own and you can treat them as you would a small “normal” holly. No need to prune until they are at the desired height.