Leave the secondary growth or remove?

My apple tree has sprouted some secondary growths at the base. This has happened quite quite quickly.
Should I cut these new growths off?

They are growing more than the main tree itself, are they removing growth energy from the main tree?

As I type this, it seems obvious that I should remove them but I was in two minds when outside.

 

In a word, yes. They are doing exactly as you say, so need removing.

PS, I would remove the green stuff (unless it is covering a graft?) and use a proper tree-tie.

 

Presumably these vigorous shoots are from the rootstock, although I cannot quite see where the graft union is in this picture. The way the tree is tied to the pole looks a bit unusual. I would retie it with a loose strap.

 

The growths are from the trunk, quite a few inches above the rootstock.

I have 4 at present and I see a bud trying to sprout. One interesting aspect to me, is that the first has grown about 10 inches in the past month while the main tree has hardly grown at all in the same period. I would be delighted if the main tree grew that fast

 

It's interesting then why the vigorous growth is from the bottom. The way it is tied looks like it might be wrapped tightly - it invites the suggestion there might be a correlation.

 

It's a grease band, not a tree tie. They're supposed to stop insects from climbing up the trunk and eating the leaves. I put one on the stake to stop them from climbing up that and jumping across

 

Do you have a tree tie on the stake/trunk? If the tree seems stable enough, It would be better to remove the stake altogether.
I think the new stems/branches look different and could be coming from below the graft. Where is the graft though? Are you sure those are coming from above the graft? I'd remove them anyway, as others have said.

One thing I certainly would do is - clear a proper space around the base of the tree. The turf is competition for moisture and nutrients. It also lets you see anything untoward happening at the base, and means you can add a mulch etc to improve the growing conditions.

 

I think you are saying I should put wood chippings around the tree. Is that correct?

PS I have removed the growths.

 

Hello, it is a good idea to clear a 1m area around a young tree, as FG says. Keep the mulch away from the trunk, though! Any mulch will help to reduce competition from grass and keep moisture in the ground, some will feed the tree too, e.g. well-rotted manure or compost. Wood chippings use up nitrogen in the process of decomposing, so it would be worth scattering a handful of general-purpose fertiliser on the soil before mulching.

 

I don't really like wood chips for that kind of thing, I'd rather use somthing like compost, manure or leaf mould, as @noisette says.
Chipped bark - the small, or the really fine, composted stuff, is ok too, as it'll rot down over time, but not 'new' wood chippings if that's the type you mean?
The only problem with bark of any kind is - blackbirds love to dig about in it, and a lot can end up scattered around rather than staying put.

 

Another thing to bear in mind is that suckers, as these growths appear to be, will develop if the trunk of the planted tree is bruised or damaged by a mower, strimmer or knocks. I was taught that runners should be pulled away from the stem, usually growing from below the scion or graft, by pulling in a downward motion. Cutting them off means they will regrow. If the tree has been planted too deeply the graft will be at or below soil level rather than clear of the soil.

 

I was taught that too, @Goldenlily26. I used to spend hours tugging away at Malus, Tilia and Pyrus suckers to remove the adventitious buds. Didn't make the blindest bit of difference...

 

Here is the current state of play.
I strimmed the surface back to bare soil,
then I sprinkled some bone meal on and stirred it into the soil with a hand rake,
then I layed a few inches of bark chippings on top
then I took the photo

I haven't done too much because it's probably not the right time of year and also I am never confident I am doing the right thing.

 

That's brilliant, Jack. All you need to do for now is keep an eye open for new shoots on the trunk and rub them out when they're still green and soft.
Have you noticed how the illustrations in the gardening books and on the net for pruning never, ever look anything like the tree in your garden? Once the leaves have fallen and depending on whereabouts you are in UK you'll be able to do a bit of winter pruning to stimulate new growth. Now the lower shoots are gone and it's had a feed, there'll be no looking back

 

Well done @Jack Doohan .
I'm afraid I should have made it clearer when saying to clear an area around the tree. The way to do it is to actually remove the turf rather than just cutting it hard. Ideally, dig down a few inches, then slide the spade under the turf horizontally and completely remove it in 'chunks' - you have to be careful when nearer the tree itself, but the root system would still be quite small as it's not been in the ground long, so it's usually easy enough to tear it away when you get nearer. That leaves a good gap between the underlying soil and the top of the turf which can then be filled with compost or similar to improve the soil. It also means you can keep adding that mulch without it causing any problems by being to close to the trunk or being up above the planting level. A layer of the bark over that can be added, but leaving the trunk area clear.
It's not too late to do that though - if you wish to do so. Apologies for not being clearer.

Bone meal alone is mainly for root promotion, but Blood Fish and Bone is better for a general, slow release food. It won't cause any harm though. You can add some BF&B in spring if you want, but it's always best to feed the soil by adding that organic matter.