Bradford Pear – Excessive Sprouts Underneath

Q: I have a major problem with sprouts from the roots of a ‘Bradford’ pear. They are growing both inside and outside of the perimeter of the bed in my front yard. I have landscape cloth under the mulch; however, it now has many holes in it from my pruning of the excessive sprouts.

A: Ethepon (click for sources) might work but it is expensive to buy and hard work to apply….and it’s not a permanent solution.

In general, trees send up root sprouts when they are stressed. Your pear has shallow roots due to growing in hard, dry soil.  Other stressors  could also lead to root sprouts.

I don’t have a good solution for you. The landscape cloth will not prevent sprouts from growing through it, as you have learned. About the best you can do is mow the sprouts as they occur or consider removing the tree.