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Hi,
Can climbing rose have root suckers?
Hi @Nabila,
Yes, climbing roses can produce root suckers, but this mainly applies to grafted roses rather than ones grown on their own roots.
If your climbing rose is grafted, any shoot that grows from below the graft union is a sucker. These often look different to the rest of the plant. They are commonly more vigorous, a deeper reddish colour when young, and sometimes have slightly different leaf shape or thorn pattern. The fact that you are seeing a thicker, reddish shoot coming from very low down is a strong sign it could be a sucker.
Have a close look near the base of the plant. You should be able to see a graft line or a noticeable change or scar on the main stem. If that red shoot is emerging from below that point or straight out of the soil, then it is definitely a sucker and should be removed. The best way is to trace it back to where it originates and cut it off as close to the root as possible.
If the rose was grown on its own roots, which is less common for climbing roses, then new shoots from the base are usually fine and part of the plant itself.
Removing suckers early is important because they can quickly take over and weaken the grafted variety you actually want to grow.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Hi @Nabila, thanks for the extra detail.
Without being able to clearly see a graft line, it does make it harder to be definitive. If the rose is a grafted variety, and the new shoot is emerging from at or below the soil line right beside the main root, then it is almost certainly a sucker coming from the rootstock. Rootstock growth is usually very vigorous and will often look thicker, stronger, and faster growing than the rest of the plant.
If the rose is a non-grafted variety, then a shoot emerging from the base can simply be a normal new cane and nothing to worry about. In that case, you would generally want to keep it, as it is contributing to the overall strength of the plant.
Because you’re not sure which type you have, one option is to let it grow a little longer and observe its behaviour. If it starts growing much faster than the rest of the rose, quickly becomes thicker, or begins to dominate the plant, that’s a strong indicator it’s a sucker and should be removed as close to the root as possible. Suckers tend to put a lot of energy into growth at the expense of flowering on the main plant.
If you can eventually locate a visible graft line, usually a knobbly swelling just above the soil, that will give you a clearer answer. Anything growing from below that point on a grafted rose should be removed. If you’re still unsure, you can also compare the leaf shape and colour to the rest of the plant, as suckers often look slightly different.
Mitchell
