Suckering shrubs - such as Aronia, bay and species roses - send up new shoots or suckers from ground level which have roots at their base. Sometimes suckers arise from the base of the main stem as with roses, but mostly suckers arise from spreading underground stems (stolons), Gaultheria shallon for example, or roots (Rhus typhina).
Severing
these suckers and planting or potting them up is an easy way
of raising new plants. However, suckers from grafted plants
will be of the rootstock not the named cultivar. Such suckers
will not resemble the cultivar, but can be useful as rootstocks
for grafting and budding.
In spring. loosen the soil around suckers with a fork, and then carefully expose and lift the sucker and associated roots, being careful not to disturb the parent plant. Using sharp secateurs or knife, sever the sucker, making sure that it has fibrous roots on the detached portion. Replace and firm the soil around the parent plant.
Trim
the sucker by removing the main root or stolon up to the fibrous
roots, and dividing the sucker if possible, so that each section
has some roots. Reduce long, leafy shoots by about half to
limit drying out of the sucker after planting, and promote
dense bushy re-growth.
Plant in fertile, free-draining soil, enriched with organic matter. If potting up the sucker, use multipurpose compost.
Water well after firming the soil around the roots. The roots are usually insufficient to sustain the plant without careful watering for the first season.