snow fountain cherry tree

[kels]

I have a snow fountain cherry tree, which has actually grown branches (for lack of a better word) out of the trunk on the bottom of the tree. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if this is normal, or should I cut them off in the fall? It looks very pretty, sort of cascading along the ground, but I am unsure if the branches are harming the growth of the tree! We planted the tree last spring. :confused:

[gardenymph]

Hi,
It sounds as if you are describing "suckers". You can take those right off. While they won't necessarily kill your tree, they do take water and nutrients away from the main parts of the tree. Besides, they take away from the overall look of a beautiful tree!

[kels]

thanks.....i have looked on a ton of sights, and have not seen anything like my problem. I wasn't sure if this type of tree was supposed to have some sort of ground cover effect as well as the cascading look!