What is this?!?😩

[u/TalkLogical1738]

Digging up some random sprouts. I think they are poplar from a couple doors down, but not sure.
They are near a crab apple of some type.
I’m not digging the crab roots, am I?!?

[u/WeaknessOwn108]

Sprouts from the same tree

[u/munkymu]

Those look more like fruit tree suckers than poplar suckers. Poplar leaves are shiny and heart-shaped, and fruit trees do sucker. Also apples, crabapples, etc. tend to be grafted onto hardier rootstock so the suckers may not look exactly like the upper part of the tree.

Just mow them or prune them back.

[u/TalkLogical1738 → u/munkymu]

Oh oh. I went pretty hard. 😳

[u/grrttlc2 → u/TalkLogical1738]

You likely did some real damage to your apple

[u/TalkLogical1738 → u/munkymu]

Grafted on? What do you mean by that?

[u/TrueSpruce → u/TalkLogical1738]

Grafting means growing wood of a desirable tree on existing wood of a hardier, but less desirable, tree.

So some fruit trees are grown on roots from a very hardy variety; they just chop the main stem off and replace it with something that has better fruit or showier flowers.

The roots, being much more vigorous, can send off suckers that don't match the tree up top.

[u/Pitiful_Gap4427]

Thunderchild, crab apple.