Why not sever the connecting root but leave the satellite plant in situ for a week or so? I would think that would give the satellite the best odds for developing its own roots. Or was that your plan all along?

I wasn't planning on leaving the satellite in situ. Is your thought that the existing roots on the satellite, if any, would support the plant while it grew additional roots. I would worry about damaging the new roots when I did move it. I'm leaning to moving it right away and letting the roots develop in the new location.

I need to move the plant and want to minimize the damage. I wasn't encouraged by the person on the spade pruning thread who split a rose and lost both halves. Should I minimize the damage to the main rose and accept that I may lose the satellite? Are there roots I am not seeing?

If it is still dormant in z3, it might be able to develop roots and take its time putting out foliage. I would cut the canes back to around 12". If it were growing actively, I would remove foliage.

The best thing to do, though, is to sever the connection to the mother plant and leave it for a couple of months. Barring that, you might pot it up and keep it in light shade while it grows roots.

Long ago when I was dealing with one of these, I carefully carved out a block of soil and lifted the "plant." Then I realized there were almost no roots at all, it was basically an underground cane.

The satellite rose you speak of is actually a sucker. My experience with suckers is not all that great. They have little incentive to grow roots because all their moisture and nutrients come from the mother plant.
I believe michaelg's suggestion to sever the connection to the mother plant and leave it for a couple of months is probably your best shot. Feeder roots die in the frozen soil and grow back each spring as the soil temps warm and the leaves start the pump that brings moisture to the upper portion of the plant. This same action may promote root growth on these suckers but only if they are separated from the main plant. Removing the sucker and potting it most often results in a dead sucker unless there were a lot of roots attached from the start.

I currently have one on Earth Song that I severed two or three weeks ago and am waiting on. I've already cloned this plant once by this method.

Thanks for the replies.

I moved the sucker. It is still dormant and I would rather have it developing roots where I want it to be. I think the rose will have a better chance of surviving being moved now rather than ripping it out when it is leafed out. I didn't cut it back. There are a few roots attached. I'll see how the other sucker I moved last fall is doing and how this one is doing before I do something radical.

Another option is to sever the sucker and wait to move it next spring after it's had a chance to root and is still dormant. Let us know if it survives.

Neither the sucker I moved last year or the one I moved this spring look like they are doing anything. I checked the one I moved last year and the canes had a green layer under the bark near the tips. However, anything that looks like a bud is still tightly closed. The buds on the one I moved this spring opened a bit after I moved it; but, are stalled. I didn't cut either of these down. I'm thinking of leaving them and using them as trellises for morning glories and scarlet runners. I really think they're done but I don't want to give up hope.

I have another sucker that I am going to sever and leave in place until fall. Do I really need to cut them down to a foot or so?

Thanks for the update. Not everybody would confess to an apparent failure.

But as long as there is green inner bark, there is life and hope. Maybe they are growing roots.

The next victim-- If it wilts after you sever it, you could snip off half the leaves to reduce moisture loss. It should be able to get roots and tops in balance after a month or so. As to how much to cut it back when you move it in the fall, use your judgement according to how much of the root system seems intact.

I am kind of a beginner, but here is my experience with 2 bodybag roses. I noticed when I planted them that there were hardly any roots, and a week or so later the plants really started to struggle. So I decided to cut the plants down by about half (or a third I can't remember), and they pretty much immediately recovered. Now it is about 6 weeks later and they have grown back to original size and have blooms just about to open. So my advice is to definitely cut back your rose to a size the roots can support and see if it helps. Of course I am totally unfamiliar with your zone but it worked for me.

When removing a plant from the ground all the feeder roots fall off with the soil. The thin roots that may still be attached are anchor roots that hold the plant in place It takes time for those feeder roots to grow back.
There are not many of those either as the sucker has been getting moisture and nutrients from the main plant. It hasn't had to grow much of a root system to survive.
Meanwhile, if you still have all the original top growth/canes the remaining roots cannot support the growth as maele stated above.
As much as you may want to save the canes and growth, doing so would probably lead to a dead plant.
There is no hurrying Mom Nature. She does things in her own good time, not yours.

I'm wondering if it might be an idea to sever the connection to the main plant, but not all the way--make a cut that doesn't go all the way through and then dust the cut with root-tone. Then, wait to see if roots grow from that spot before moving it.

odyssey3
That would help the root growing process but how much depends on variety and how easily it roots. Partially severing the root would still lengthen the time it would take the sucker to form it's own roots. As long as moisure and nutrients are flowing to the plant, there's no incentive for it to make roots.

I bit the bullet and cut the canes to 12-18". I noticed tiny leaves on lasts fall's transplant. I might have got away with out cutting the canes back; but, bowing to the collective wisdom seems the way to go.

Thanks for all the advice.

Can I ask what rose you've been working with?

I'm working with a climbing rose that has small yellow double blooms in clusters. I transplanted the suckers because they were leaning into the front walk. It was shovel prune or transplant.

I don't know what kind of rose it is; but, I have included links to some winter pictures below.

Flower in Winter
Rose in Winter

ljpother,
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Of my 450 bushes I have over 100 that look like that in the winter.
To identify we need pictures of the rose blooming in season.

Well for the longest time, I thought that was as good as it's going to get. There is hope and I should be able to post pictures of the flowers before September. :)

just an update

Last week I noticed tiny leaves on the second (spring) transplant. It looks like both will survive and by next year I should have canes of decent length and flowers. :)

I'm going to be doing this with more suckers, mainly to shape the bushes and remove old growth. However, I'll be severing the blooming canes after they flower and moving them in the fall. Time is nice to have.

It must be summer, the rose is blooming.

Flower spray

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bush

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flower attachment

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Looking at the way the flowers are attached, where should I dead head this rose.

Thanks

Is it Harison's Yellow?

No need to deadhead-- let it set hips.

With your weaker new plants, you could just pull the spent flowers off to conserve growth energy. However, some think that setting fruit helps the plant prepare for winter.

Here is a link that might be useful: Harison's

It looks like the Harison's Yellow. However, Harison's is described as a shrub. Mine puts out multiple 8' canes from the base. Doesn't that make it a climber?

Also, don't I need to dead head to get a second flush? It was a pain in the butt snipping individual flowers. So if I don't have to, I'm happy to leave them.

Harison's Yellow is a June-bloomer, not a repeater.

I'm pretty sure I got a second flush last year (dead headed) -- a lot lighter than June.