I have a big row of ornamental pear trees. They were the last ones in the nursery so we got much bigger ones than we could otherwise have afforded, but they were a bit scrappy and had many long shoots from the rootstock. We cut these off after we planted them last Autumn. Now that they're growing again, I'm out there every single week knocking 3 inch long shoots off the scars where we cut off the old shoots, like 5 per scar, and also ones that are sprouting up from the actual underground roots. I can keep doing this until they give up if necessary, but they aren't showing any signs of giving up, and I'm worried that it's taking energy away from the growth of the proper tree above the graft.
Any suggestions? Much appreciated