Eradicating Dr. Huey too?

12 years ago

In addition to having what I *believe* to be Multiflora (Gregg ID'd it for me at the Celebration last year, but google says that growers didn't use much multiflora in CA... but I'm wandering....)

I also have a smaller Dr. Huey that was not terribly vigorous so there's no distinct stump like there is for the multiflora. A couple months ago when I asked the landscaper to "rip out" the entire Dr. Huey plant, roots and all, he clearly just took loppers, cut it to the ground, and declared it done. This Spring, an enormous flush of huey suckers have emerged and I'm itching to find the best way to kill the plant completely.

Is Dr. Huey as hard to remove and kill as Multiflora? The Multiflora (which I mentioned in another post) has a huge stump, like 12 inches around and I was planning on drilling it with roundup a few times.

The Dr. Huey just seems to be sending out lots of upright suckers, and I can't seem to find any actual stump. I am not sure if a steady stream of roundup on the emerging leaves will kill the Dr.

I was hoping to plant my antique roses there this spring. I have this scary image of needing to dig every out single bit of the soil and sift out every single piece of the roots... but hopefully it'll easier than that.

Or, if this is just something I'll always have to live with and remove when they pop up?

Thanks!

-kmama

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Comments (5)

jacqueline9CA
12 years ago
kmama - Dr, Huey is persistent, but not THAT bad! I would just presume there is some sort of large root under the ground where it is sprouting, and dig (or get someone to dig) it up with a shovel - might have to go down 2 feet or so. Then, keep an eye out for more sprouts, dig under them to get the roots if they appear, repeat. This has worked fine in our garden, and I am near you geographically.

Jackie
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roseseek
12 years ago
Kmama, yes Huey can be as difficult to eradicate as any other rose suitable for root stock use. That's one reason why they were used as stocks...they're seemingly immortal.

You probably won't find a "stump" like your multiflora, but individual plants, each coming from individual roots left in the ground after the removal of the plant. Round Up WILL kill Dr. Huey. It can be painted on with a regular old paint brush if you're concerned about spray drift. Using a brush, you only have to worry about dripping on other plants. If the canes are long enough and pliable enough on both plants, you may mix a bucket full (whatever size bucket you feel is appropriate to contain the quantity and size of growth), gently bend the canes over and insert them into the Round Up mixture in the bucket. Secure them with something to keep them submerged in the liquid and let them suck it up! This requires being able to bend them without kinking them. It may be the easiest method of killing off the multiflora if you have sufficiently long, supple enough material to work with.

You'll probably need a couple of weeks to make sure the stuff has worked its magic to the fullest, but you should see dramatic results from the Round Up within a couple of days. The longer you let it sit, the more fully the chemical travels throughout the entire plant, all the way to the root tips, hence the more complete the "kill".

If you don't wish to use an herbacide, you may just get down and start digging. Expect regrowth from many root pieces of each left in the soil. That's what they do. Kim
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Sara-Ann, congrats on pulling the roses through the winter regardless of the rootstock. In looking over your list, I have or have grown all of them and on the whole I'd say the ones you have on Dr. Huey with the exception perhaps of Neptune and your probable Neil Diamond are less hardy than those on multiflora - those two are the only one of that group that I can overwinter at all in zone 5. Whereas the ones on multiflora are almost all root hardy if not cane hardy except for perhaps Brigadoon and Crescendo. That doesn't mean the multiflora isn't giving them a little added boost, but there are also contributions from the vigor of the rose itself. Madakatude, mostly we judge the type of rootstock by where we bought the rose. If you bought it grafted from one of the Canadian sellers (Palatine, Hortico, or the late great Pickering), these were multiflora. If you bought it grafted from most other US vendors, or at a big box store or local nursery, it's probably Dr. Huey. The other type of rootstock is Fortuniana, which is sold at a couple of mail order nurseries and it doesn't survive well in cold zones, so odds are you don't have that one. There are other rootstocks used here and there in old established roses or smaller nurseries (Ragged Robin for instance was used historically), but the two Sara Ann discussed are the most common. If the rootstock sends up shoots on its own, Dr. Huey will be a dark red once bloomer with scraggly canes, and multiflora will be small white flowers with lots of thorny scraggly canes. Cynthia
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kristimama
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks everyone!

For the first 10 years we lived here, we thought these old roses were quaint. Then I got really into the antique roses and have been plotting an entirely different garden for the last few years.

With help from all of you wonderful people here!
-k
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eahamel
12 years ago
I hope you aren't going to use that landscaper again!

Yes, these old garden roses can be very addictive, can't they? I only have one grafted rose, it's a David Austin, and I'm surprised that it's lived more than 5 years.
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rosefolly
12 years ago
I am still pulling up bits of Dr Huey from a grafted rose I removed. I dug up the central core of it and as much root as I could find easily, but naturally could not find every remnant.
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Eradicating Dr. Huey too?

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Eradicating Dr. Huey too?

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