Why Is My New Bing Cherry Tree Sprouting From The Bottom Of The Trunk?

Question

Hello, I planted a bare root ultra dwarf bing cherry tree in a container a couple months ago and its only sprouting and growing leaves from the bottom of the trunk. I did notice these sprouts when I took it out of the bag it came in, and I cut them off when I planted the tree, but they grew right back very fast. The rest of the tree doesn’t show any signs of sprouting new growth. Now I am worried this tree will never grow right. How can I fix this? FYI I also used pine nuggets as mulch which seems to have lowered the ph too much and now I need to fix that too. What mulch do you recommend for this tree? I have very limited planting space in my backyard so I have to use containers. The cherry tree is planted in a metal 31 gallon container and it gets full morning to mid afternoon sun. Thank you for your help!

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Answer 1

You are right to cut off the suckers. They are growing from below the graft, which means the rootstalk is growing, and not the desirable upper part. Cut off the suckers, then tip prune the branches to see if that starts anything. If you don't see new growth in a week or two, contact your vendor and let them know the top part of your tree never grew. They should replace it.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/what-is-a-graft-collar.htm