Rose Suckers

How To Remove Suckers From Rootstocks

Rose suckers are unwanted growth from the rootstocks of rose plants.

When you do rose gardening you will most likely find som suckers on your grafted rose bushes.

You can identify suckers by their leaves, because they have a different color and shape from the rest of the rose.

It's because the budded rootstock comes from a different type of rose, that was choosen for having healthy roots, not for it's leaves and blooms.

If you scrape the soil away, you'll be able to see that the suckers grows from the roots that sprouts from below the bud union.

To remove the sucker growth from your rose, uncover the soil carefully to expose the source, and pull it off.

You need to wear garden gloves so you can firmly grip the sucker and yank it off.

Own root roses do not grow suckers.

And any shoot from the roots of a rose that is not grafted, will be of the actual rose, and can be taken and planted as

a new rose. Similar to growing roses

from cuttings.

Standard or tree roses also produce suckers from the stem below the bud union. Rub them off while they are small.

Click on the video below for a demonstration of how to remove rootstock suckers.

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