suckers on roses

[Vics128]

is it true that if I see a branch on my roses that has 7 leaves, to chop it off as soon as I see it.
Iv just had to cut my rose back right to the stump as it had black spot, and the first regrowth came back as 7 leaves. It seemed realy sad to chop it all off again! Its growing back nicely now, but was it necasery?
Ta

[Lonnie]

Srry to tell you, your correct, seven leaves, its a sucker, you'd be best to take it out, as its taking strength from the main plant.

[Vics128]

Thanks!! I had taken it out, it just seemed a bit mean, as it had only just started to grow after its mamoth pruning!
Ill def keep an eye out for any more though!

[Hillogs]

Don't just cut it off. Follow it back to where it starts, usually below where the graft is and pull the whole piece off from there.

[Thunderbird+]

Hi vics,
Lonnie and hillhogs advice is good I'm sure, but you may get the odd time when the sucker comes up from well below ground from the rootstock and short of digging to trace it back and causing a lot of root disturbance, heres a little tip an old gardener showed me many moons ago- Take a dutch hoe (or a small spade if the sucker is large), possition it between the sucker and the bush and plunge it sharply into the soil and hopefully the sucker will come away neatly from the bush.