skip to main content

Can a sucker be healthy for a rose?

14 years ago

My John Keats rose, seen here, in the photo set, gets this sucker all the time. I wonder if I left it on the rose for a while, would be make the root stock stronger and healthier. I would take it off after a while. Or are all suckers always bad all the time? The sucker looks red because it just sprouted.

Here is a link that might be useful: John Keats Rose with sucker

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

5400jana
14 years ago
No, the sucker will weaken the cultivar unless it grows on its own roots. Jana
catsrose
13 years ago
The sucker is coming from the root stock not from John Keats, so it is a different rose altogether.
Related Discussions
Can roses sucker?
Q
Comments (14)
When you locate the point where it's attached to the shank, rip it off with a downward stroke. This will require a pretty big hole to get the right leverage. Removing it this way will tear away a little of the area it's growing from and should remove all traces of it preventing anything from regrowing. Cutting it cleanly at the point of growth does not guarantee it will not grow back as that does not remove all traces unless you cut away the part of the shank where it's attached
...See More
Rose du Roi of commerce; growth habit, suckering, pictures?
Q
Comments (3)
Kmama, suckering roses, such as gallicas or the wild Rosa californica, expand and send up new flowering canes via underground rhizomes, eventually forming a thicket or patch. My Rose du Roi of commerce has been in the ground just 3 years and has yet to do much of that (so, perhaps not as vigorous that way as some. For many years I have had an unnamed mossy pink gallica-type that, really, is a weed, though with a very full and beautiful, well-perfumed flower. Every spring I need to circumscribe its perimeter with a shovel to keep the patch around 5' diameter, and more than a year after digging up one population of it, I am still digging it up! I always take care to never plant that one anywhere near the "civilized" part of the garden.) Thus far, the canes of my Rose du Roi have not exceeded about 2.5', so I can't imagine pegging it, but, anyway, each cane puts out several branches without pegging. The leaves are very healthy (saying something, this year) and cover the plant well. Current flowers are about 4" in diameter. This is one of my favorite rose flowers of all: beautiful deep red-going-to-purple, heavy scent, huge number of petals arranged in intricate swirls, flower flat and quartered. Just love it -- it is more beautiful in person than most of the photos on HMF would indicate (tough rose to photograph).
...See More
10/27/15: Tips & recipes & thoughts to healthy life and healthy roses
Q
Comments (63)
JESS: Thank you for the pics. & neat info. about Badger .. I really enjoy learning about the animals in South Africa. One cup of chicken manure per bush is TOO MUCH. In a British rose forum, a lady burnt her roses by using chicken manure once a month. In my cold zone, I use chicken manure VERY SMALL amount when the temp is cool & rainy. Folks use Rose-Tone (has chicken manure) once a month for roses in pots. But that has only 1/6 chicken manure. I would use only 1/2 cup, 1 cup would be too salty. I killed a rose by mixing 1/2 cup of chicken manure in the planting hole. When chicken manure touches the root, it kills the root, best to dilute ONLY 1/2 cup with soil before spreading around the bush. I started a new thread, "10/30/15: Bad habits, good habits, rose & health tips, recipes." http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3473294/m=3/10-30-15-bad-habits-good-habits-rose-and-health-tips-recipes
...See More
Which rose was the suckering thug?
Q
Comments (31)
Wow, gorgeous waterfall in the park! I looked up Kakwa on HMF and it looks like a prolific bloomer in its spring bloom. There is a photo of a very compact rounded bush of Kakwa, but it was in a botanical garden and maybe that took a team of gardeners to keep in line. The idea of growing suckering roses in pots is probably wise. Paul Barden advised me once when considering an unknown Gallica to plant it in a bottomless garbage can fully buried in the ground. Given how some roses sucker though I think some could escape out the bottom eventually. I sure learned that lesson with some horseradish planted in a pot that had a hole in the bottom big enough for a finger to sneak out and go hog-wild in good soil. Cynthia
...See More
linaria_gw
13 years ago
Hi there,
I guess that those RED suckers are actual new basal shoot from the scion.
I tended some gardens including some rose beds (and pruning roses), and as far as I could watch, sucker were always pale green, never red. I am like 98.9% sure that red shoots/canes are always from the scion/ rose cultivar. So, if it`s red, keep it and watch it grow and flower beautifully.
---
another thing I saw on the pic. There is a potted rose in the front. It`s partly covered by its own foliage but it looked like it was planted too high, the grafting not covered by soil.

Well, a good new season, bye, Lin
intris
13 years ago
I can't see the graft union on your rose bush. If it's coming out of the graft union, then it's not a sucker, but a new cane from your desired rose bush. It looks like it might be a new cane from your rose bush as opposed to a sucker growing from your root system.
I vote to let it alone until it flowers. If it is different from the other roses, then it's the sucker. In which case, cut it off.
lola-lemon
13 years ago
In the US in warm climates we don't bury the graft. So- if this is planted with the graft a few inches above soil- as would be normal for the bay area- then I think that is a sucker.
Can you get a firm hold and yank it out? Cutting it won't usually get the hole thing. try twisting and levering it. (maybe draw back the soil)
Some roses are more prone to root suckers than others.....it'll probably always throw you suckers now and then and you just need to take them off.

Related Stories

HOUSEPLANTS 8 Essentials for Healthy Indoor Plants

Houseplants add so much to our homes — and can thrive when grown in the right conditions. Keep these tips in mind

WINTER GARDENING Pruning Secrets for Exquisite Roses

By Annie Thornton

Encourage gorgeous blooms year after year with this time-tested advice on how to prune your rosebush in winter for health and shape

SPRING GARDENING How to Grow a Rose Garden in Pots

By J. Peterson Garden Design

Everything can come up roses, even without a plot of soil in sight. This step-by-step guide to growing roses in containers shows you how

GARDENING GUIDES Roses: Crowning Touch of Gardens

Whether you're the Miss or Mister America of gardening or take a hands-off approach, roses can be a winning addition to your landscape

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Tips to Start a Garden — Can-Do Ideas for Beginners

By Alison Hodgson

Green up your landscape even if you're short on time, money and knowledge, with these manageable steps for first-time gardeners

DECORATING GUIDES The '70s Are Back. Can Ya Dig It?

By Becky Harris

No need to cringe. These 21 groovy blasts from the past are updated to look fabulous today

FENCES AND GATES A Deer Fence Can Be Decorative as Well as Protective

You need a monster-size fence to shelter your garden from deer, but it doesn’t have to look like a monstrosity

DECORATING GUIDES See How Wabi-Sabi Can Bring Harmony and Beauty to Your Home

By Robyn Lawrence

Create your own wabi-style style with beautifully weathered, humble materials around the house

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Make Your Roses Even More Beautiful With These Companion Plants

By J. Peterson Garden Design

Nourish your rosebushes and create a visual feast with these 7 classic and unexpected plant pairings

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Wonderfully Easy Roses for Any Gardener

By J. Peterson Garden Design

Look like an expert even if you're just starting out, with these low-maintenance gems of the rose world

Sponsored

Everingham Design

Columbus' Home Design Experts Specializing in Custom Cabinets