How to Get Rid of Suckers on Roses

It's quite common for two rose plants to be grafted (joined together) to produce hardier plants that are capable of surviving winter. Hardy rose rootstock is grafted onto another variety of rose that produces the above-ground growth and the type of rose blooms you have purchased. The graft or bud union looks like a small, knobby knot and should be planted just below the soil surface. Then, ideally, the rootstock produces a hardy root system and the above-ground portion of the plant produces healthy cane growth and beautiful roses.

However, sometimes things don't go as planned. There is a chance that vigorous growing canes, called "suckers," can be produced by the rootstock. These suckers emerge below the bud union. Canes that grow out of the rootstock will not produce the same kind or number of blooms as the grafted above-ground portion of the bush. The suckers steal nutrients away from the rose bush, weakening it, and thus need to be removed as soon as they appear.

When to Get Rid of Suckers on Roses

A branch that grows from below the bud union is surely a sucker. Most suckers will emerge in the springtime, growing vigorously, and the leaves won't exactly resemble those on the above-ground portion of the rose bush. Instead, they will look immature, light green, and somewhat curly. Suckers will not produce flower buds at all or, if they do, the roses will not be the color, shape, or size you would expect from the variety of rose you purchased. So, the earlier you recognize these undesirable sprouts, the better, because eradicating them at once will assure an abundant midsummer showing.

Grafted vs. Non-Grafted Roses

Roses grown from grafts benefit in terms of the hardiness and health of the plant because branches are usually grafted onto the rootstock of a hardier variety of rose plant. The above-ground portion of the plant, known as the scion, is the rose variety you are purchasing. This is the part that will grow canes and produce buds that bloom into the variety of rose flowers you are expecting. Once grafted, a rose plant's root system can handle cold winters and might gain some disease resistance as well. Grafting helps a rose bush survive in colder climates.

Wild rose and heritage varieties are usually not grafted and are grown from cuttings and thus will not produce suckers. If you purchased these kinds of roses, take note that any canes that emerge from the soil are usually a viable part of the plant and originate from the rose's ungrafted root system. Leave them be and they will add more blooms to its showy display.