Suckers on more than one plant

14 years ago

Like some others I am a first time poster but long time reader but I have finally found a question that I can't find the answer for in the forum. Every once in a while I notice that two or three of my violets start to sucker alot... alot alot (at almost every leaf). Most of them had never had even one sucker before... it happens after I repot. Am I being to rough when I repot... I feel like I am being careful, but that is the only thing I can think of. A few of my favorites are doing it this time and I am upset (I have never saved one after it started 'the suckering') Has anyone run into this problem before? Any suggestions to get them back to normal? I know you should just take all the suckers off when you see them and the plant should go back to normal.. but how long before it goes back to normal. I have plucked for months on previous plants with no results. Please help... my favorites are on death row!

-Kate

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Comments (10)

fred_hill
14 years ago
HI Kate,
Instead of tossing the plant with suckers, remove them and start them over. Maybe then it won't sucker.
Fred in NJ
bspofford
14 years ago
Fred also posted on a thread this summer that letting a plant get wilted repeatedly can promote suckering. Any chance this may be the situation at your house?

Barbara
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nwgatreasures
14 years ago
and this may seem stupid to ask....but is your plant a trailer? Trailers are supposed to sucker.

Just a thought :)

Dora
pisces7386
Original Author
14 years ago
Sorry everyone, got lost for a few days :)

Fred, I don't actually toss them, they just never flower again... I haven't actually tried to plant any of the suckers because I pull them off before they get big enough to survive, I'll try to let some of them get big enough this time.

Barbara, I do let them dry out a bit before repotting... and I do admit sometimes they do wilt a bit...this may actually be the problem. Would wilting every 4 to six months do it? I do think I'll pay more attention to the watering and wilting. will these plants have continuous suckers for the rest of their lives... even when they aren't wilting anymore?

Dora, it is always smart to ask the stupid questions; they are not trailers but they are minis and semis ( which sometimes show their trailing ancestry, right?).

-Kate
fred_hill
14 years ago
Hi again Kate,
I feel that when a plant suckers it is trying to tell you that it is trying to survive. It puts out suckers so that hopefully it will continue to live. That's only my opinion.
Fred in NJ
nwgatreasures
14 years ago
Kate,
I agree with Fred about the suckering....but I also think that some plant varieties are prone to suckering and that's just their habit.

Ramblin Rose is one of them...I really do not have an appreciation for this plant and the growth characteristics. It suckers all the time even with continuous care. I bet I removed 10 suckers a month the first year that I had it. The descriptions say that it isn't a sucker but it is in my book.

Finally, I just let it go....groomed the dead leaves/blooms off and it fills the darn pot now. Go figure.

Seems like you may hvae figured out what will help you with the watering. Good Luck,
Dora
pisces7386
Original Author
14 years ago
Fred, I agree with the survival thing, that is the way it works in nature so it only makes sense for 'indoor nature' too. That was why I suspected being to rough with them durring repotting.

Dora, I agree with the whole unofficial suckering plants, I have a Rob's Jitter Bug that has suckered since day one... 4 years ago (I was way better about watering back then).

I think I am going to switch over to wick watering. I'm nervous, I feel like I won't do it right and one half of the plants will get over watered and the other half underwatered. I am getting some new leaves in two weeks so I'll try to switch a few plants over to wicks then (when I've got all the soil out).

Again thanks for all your help!
nwgatreasures
14 years ago
Kate,
May I suggest that you switch a few over to wick watering...see how that goes....get a groove.....and then switch some more?

I am a huge fan of wick watering...and recently, I switched about 100 of my plants to community wick watering. There are some people who believe that community wick watering is too risky for spread of negative things and I appreciate those beliefs.

My plants have done much better with the community wick watering and I think it's because they are actually getting water (LOL). It's much easier and less time consuming to pour a gallong into the entire tray than take 10 minutes to water each individual plant on that tray so it's getting done more regularly (by me or my house sitter).

I think the plants also like the humidity with that wide surface of water below it. They are thriving.

You'll try several things...people will offer suggestions....you'll try them and learn what you do and don't like and then your plants will tell you what they do and don't like and you'll try some more things :) You'll learn and gain experience and then share that with others here and someone's life will be the better for what you share.

Looking fwd to hearing what you try and what happens :)
Dora
sstimac
14 years ago
I have a good number of AVs, one of them throws suckers almost constantly. It is an optimara variety that is not considered a trailing AV. I pick suckers off of it about once a month. I've let the suckers go once and it totally ruined the aesthetics of the crown and disrupted the flowers. The suckers rooted well, but I just don't want to keep them around. I love the plant; the flowers are gorgeous. Perhaps, like me, you have a plant just is just prone to producing suckers.
quintyoung
14 years ago
I read once that replanting too deep can promote suckering? One of mine will sucker after replanting but stops after the first batch.