Subject: blue spruce leader

From: [email-masked] (Sheila Sim)
Date: 11 Mar 1995 11:08:19 -0500

Hi!  I planted a blue spruce a year ago last summer (here in soon to be 
spring S. Ontario!).  It appears to be shooting up a second leader branch 
from near the base which I hadn't noticed until later this past summer.  
Something tells me that'll confuse the hell out of the tree's growing 
pattern, so, the question is ... should I cut it out?  If so, do I need 
to protect the wound?  and when should I do it?  I'm always VERY nervous 
about any pruning, let alone a 2.5 foot branch!  So any advice would most 
MOST welcome.  

Thanks,
Sheila

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From: [email-masked] (JWINSTORY)
Date: 25 Mar 1995 18:06:25 -0500

As long as the main part of the tree is healthy and has been growing
properly, you should remove the secondary basal shoot.  Occasionally,
there is a reason for that shoot to develop, i.e. a disease or insect
weakening the main trunk so a vigorous new shoot sometimes will sprout
from the base.  As long as that is not the case, you can remove the
"sucker". Doing it now in the spring should cause no adverse reaction in
the tree, and you do not really need to protect the cut since conifers
usually produce enough pitch to seal the cut.