John has asked me to talk to you about suckers. This is the time of the year when suckers really start to get going so you need to be able to spot the difference between a new basal shoot and a sucker. Basal shoots are our future, whereas suckers can take the life of our desired rose.
John has been working on our suckers for many years now. He and Glenis virtually controlled all the suckers in the Garden, but John needs your help in spotting and advising him of their whereabouts.
So, what is a sucker? The majority of modern roses are budded on to a rootstock or understock. For a commercial grower, this method is more economically viable than trying to grow roses on their own roots. The strike rate is higher, the quality is often better, it is faster to do and the cultivar is ready for market sooner.
Any strong root-growing rose can be used as a rootstock. The most common form we find in our Garden is Dr Huey. This is a delightful rambler in its own right and can be found in the festoons in Petal E. The commercial grower has fields of this plant and bundles of budwood waiting for the professional graft budders to come once a year to bud up the next years roses.
We plant out the new season roses, being careful not to disturb the root system. Damaging the roots may cause the plant to throw up a new cane which is attached to the roots or rootstock. Keep this fact in mind when underplanting your roses at home. It is very easy to dig that little bit deep and damage a root, causing a sucker to appear. This new cane, being below the bud graft, will be a sucker. This is the major method of determining whether a new cane is a basal shoot or a sucker. If below the graft – sucker; conversely, if above the graft – basal shoot.
Keep an eye out for different growth when working in the Garden. If in doubt, call on one of our senior members to determine if it is a sucker. Then take a note of the bed it is in and mark it on the work board so John can find and remove. Incidentally, he would love to have an offsider if anyone wants a change of job.
Wal J 17 Jan 2018
