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Ginkgo Stump Sprouts: Why They're Unreliable and What to Do Instead

Q: Our beautiful ginkgo tree was destroyed in a storm years ago. We left the stump. Now two new trees sprout from it. What's best?

I'm sad to say the sprouts won't do what you want. They're likely attached to the stump side, not the roots. They'll eventually fail in a storm—sooner rather than later.

Best bet: remove sprouts, dig and loosen soil next to the stump out to 6 feet, and plant a new ginkgo there.

About Gardening: Natural Ways to Rot a Tree Stump Faster; Controlling Basal Sprouts on Young Trees; Propagating Dwarf Burning Bush: Softwood Cutting Method; Using Stump Grindings as Mulch Under Pine Trees; Rose Suckers from Rootstock: Why New Growth Differs from Your Grafted Variety; Crape Myrtle Sprouts After Severe Pruning: Restoration Steps; Oak Stump Sprouts: Weak and Disease-Prone; Cherry Tree Root Sprouts: Cannot Be Transplanted Successfully; Leyland Cypress Cannot Regrow from Brown Stumps After Hard Pruning; Oak Stump Sprout: Will It Become a Tree?

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