Rose question............

[Doris_Pinks]

Never really grown them before, but in this new garden have bought a few......hubby loves em, and we have the largest rose centre near us, so it was inevitable! (I HATE it when they get black spot!!!!)
So one has thrown up a sucker.............7 leaves. My OH asked why do we have to remove it as I said he had to..........I muttered something about it taking the strength from the plant and if it flowered they would not be "true" to the rose, and it probably wouldn't flower.
Actually what I was doing was guessing as I haven't got a clue as to why we remove suckers, never having grown them before..............so why do we?

[Doris_Pinks]

[quizzical1]

You're correct about it not being true to the original, in as much as it probably comes up from the rootstock, which will be a briar. Any flowers on it will probably be single/dog rose type.

I suspect that you're also right about it taking nourishment from the main plant, since it is probably coming from the rootstock.. Most, if not all, commercially grown roses are grafted onto briars. If left on the plant, it will grow huge, and not very nice looking (compared to the main plant).

Cut it off as close to the base as you can.

[Emagggie]

Even better, tweak/pull it out from the very base where it grows from rather than cutting it. Cutting can lead to an increase in sucker production.

[Kepouros]

Doris, the reason for removing the sucker is that the rootstock from which it springs is much more vigorous than the rose which is budded on to it (many garden hybrid roses are weak performers on their own roots), and left to its own devices it will throw out more and more shoots until the rose is completely overwhelmed and dies.

The most permanent way to remove a sucker is to scrape the soil away from it until you find the point where it springs from a root and either pull or cut it cleanly off at that point.  If you cut or break it anywhere else it will simply make new shoots.

It sometimes happens with a large standard or climbing rose that numerous suckers spring up around it from the roots.  I found a very effective method of dealing with these was to spray them with Weedol while they were still `soft`.
Weedol, of course, kills off green growth but is not systemic, and the suckers simply shrivelled away without the rose being harmed.  However, you do this at your own risk.

[Doris_Pinks]

Thanks all, glad I was sort of right! ;D
When the rain stops I shall arm myself with tough gloves and get rid of it!