Re: watershoots/suckers?

Don't see where you say the lilac is grafted [did I miss it?}, so what you see is what you get from the suckers.

I've always heard "watersprouts" to refer to aggressive leaders originating above the graft. My valencia orange does that on occasion--sends out a leader from above the graft that seems to grow a foot a day until I lop it out.

But if your question is why a lilac suckers [they all do, terribly], it's because that's what they do. I don't think stress has anything to do with it. Crape myrtle is the same way.

On Apr 9, 2005, at 7:40 PM, Chapel Ridge Wal Mart National Hearing Center wrote:

I've seen crabapple trees with suckers shooting straight up all around and I
know that's something they are prone to and that they should be removed. I
think they are called watersprouts? Anyway, several years back someone
stuck a Fr. Fiala Lilac in the shady terrace garden at our display gardens.
Eventually they figured out it didn't belong there and moved it over to a
bed that eventually came into the possession of my nursery group. I need
more room for growing plants for resale and want to move the Lilac, two
viburnums, and a Lavatera out of this bed that mostly consists of
Hydrangeas and a few Korean Rhodies. Besides, they shouldn't be in
shade............which brings me back to the Lilac. This full sized
specimen (about 5 ft, small leaved - I'm unsure of species, but a dwarf of
some kind) has what appears to be a couple hundred watershoots, about 8
inches tall, at its base. I've seen suckers from Syringa vulgaris, but not
like this. It looks like a plant's response to stress - could that stress
be the result of moving too often or trying to survive in shade?

My main question is whether these shoots might be worth propagating. Of
course, I won't really know what's there until we dig it up. If they can be
removed with some roots, I'd like to give it a try. If they aren't
salvageable, they still should be removed, right? Any ideas as to whether
this effort might be worthwhile?

Kitty

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Island Jim
Southwest Florida
27.0 N, 82.4 W
Hardiness Zone 10
Heat Zone 10
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
Maximum 100 F [38 C]

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