How to Plant Suckers

Suckers are the small shoots that start to appear from the base of the larger plants. These plants grow from the root tissues below the ground around the tree. Suckers can grow at any distance from the parent plant. You can easily use these suckers to start growing new plants. Commonly grown plants that frequently produce suckers include poplars, jasmine, flowering quince, roses and lilacs. Many shrubs are expensive to buy, and dividing the suckers provides for an inexpensive way to grow new plants.

Small- to medium-sized pot
Potting soil
Sharp shovel
Pruning tool

Instructions

- 1
  Divide and transplant suckers during the dormant season. The best time to do this is during spring. If you miss the dormant time in spring, it is best to wait until fall.
- 2
  Find a pot in proportion to sucker size if you wish to start the sucker in a pot. Fill with a well-draining potting soil. If you want to transplant directly in the garden, select a proper site. Dig a planting hole twice as wide and deep as the sucker.
- 3
  Use a sharp shovel and separate the sucker a few inches away from the parent plant without severing it entirely. Take care not to disturb or damage the parent plant in the process.
- 4
  Dig a little around the sucker and inspect the roots to see if they are healthy and large enough to survive on their own. Use a sharp pruning tool to cut away the roots of the sucker from the main plant. Try not to cut more than the necessary amount of roots.
- 5
  Lift out the cut sucker with as much of the original soil around the roots as possible. Plant in the prepared pot or in the ground. Avoid planting very deeply into the soil. Water well.

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