Poplar suckers

[spandit]

Had some little poplar seedlings coming up on the lawn. It's nowhere near the house so wasn't too concerned:

Rather naively, I thought that tree suckers only occured next to the trunk and this particular one was a good 10m away from the parent (I assumed it had sprouted from wind blown seed). Thought I'd dig them up to transplant elsewhere amongst my other trees where they can grow unrestricted but found this:

That root is a good 20mm across! Impressive stuff and going to have to be careful where I plant any new ones as they're bound to take over wherever they are...

 

[Robson Valley]

Wrong leaf shape to me. More like willow (Salix sp.) and they will give you grief.

 

[spandit]

Wrong leaf shape to me. More like willow (Salix sp.) and they will give you grief.

Definitely poplar (balsam poplar) - leaf and bark matches one of the larger saplings that must have suckered before.

 

[Robson Valley]

Ah. Grows east of the Rockies in Canada. Haven't spent much time there for the past 50 years!

Neighbor bought a really nice rose bush. Planted, thought he should stake it out for stability in yr one. Cut 3 thumb-sized willow (Salix sp) sticks for stakes.
They all took root and grew so prolifically that he had to dig _everything_ up in the next summer!

 

[spandit]

It's an advantage of willow if you want quick screening but I have a nice willow hurdle that is growing well. It's growing in a place where it doesn't matter (and in fact I was hoping it would take root).

I'm wondering if you'd be safe, stake-wise, if you peeled the bark off first

 

[Robson Valley]

That probably would have worked, I recall that it's the secondary phloem parenchyma which de-differentiates to form adventitious roots.
I can't remember the Trade Name but we have a hybrid poplar "super tree" with spectacular growth. The crops of trees are harvested and milled into
pairs of disposable chopsticks. Replanted like sugar cane, just stick 16" lengths into the ground!

The city of Prince George, 2+ hrs west of me has a bylaw preventing people from planting willow as the root system finds and blocks the sewer pipes.