What is a likely cause for early suckers before topping?

[BarG]

The thread title says it all! Any ideas on the cause or prevention, and cure. I have been squeezing up to 8" suckers to slow growth on my young plants and give the main stem the best chance.

 

[deluxestogie]

Sucker them now, or sucker them later. Each leaf axil will eventually try to grow at least one sucker, and often a second after the first is removed. Since delicate, young leaf is an invitation to aphids, I just remove them entirely, as soon as they're large enough to reach safely. My only real hardship with that approach was applying it to Sacred Cornplanter rustica, which, like most rustica, wants to be a bush.

As to why some begin to sucker early, I really don't know. Some varieties are more prone than others. Some seasons are worse for early suckers than others. If it's something that I am causing--germination conditions, seedling mix, time before transplant, weather at transplant time--I haven't identified it.

Bob

 

[BarG]

Wow/

 

[BarG]

Wow/

ill be usinng my observatiions My current method is to retard the sucker.

 

[leverhead]

I have a section in my patch that takes in part of several rows of Southern Beauty. The plants there are growing faster than the rest and suckering very badly, like last year. The plants out side of that area are growing well enough for me, with far fewer suckers. By feel from tilling, the soil is deeper there before I ran into clay. I've had enough rain to have lost a few plants to drowning.

 

[BigBonner]

BarG

My question is , How big are the suckers on your plants ?
Some young plants will have tiny suckers at each leaf but do not grow unless topped . If they grow out two inches then you might have a sucker problem .
Cold damage can cause this to .

 

[BarG]

Bonner, I'm seeing suckers big enough to stsart a new plant. I wouldn;t care if my back werent hurtinin. I been squezzen the be juices out of em and leaving them hangin.

 

[BarG]

you dont get much more southern growin where i'm at. frost put damage on my tobaccl leaves. It looks similar to a cucumber virus. leaves will be real tough and deformed. The remainder of the plant will develope normaly.

 

[BarG]

I will keep an eye out for the young ones and won't be a problem verses my ground suckers, which are a friggin problem. My vuelta abajo are growing new plants from the stems.or stalks .One week of me not watchimg and I would have double or triple vuelta abajos.
I pinch real hard to prohibit the sucker growth. dont know if it works.
Its called pinchits pendejo

 

[Jitterbugdude]

BarG
Cold damage can cause this to .

A period of cold will induce early budding. By extension it probably also induces early suckers. I've had lower than normal temps since planting so I guess I'll find out soon if this is true.