Q.rose root removal- very old bushes
I recently purchased a 50 year old mobile home. In the yard there are 4 rose bushes. One is diseased, one way overgrown , two I trimmed way back 4-6 weeks ago to just a few canes. One of those came back nicely and has many birds. The other is growing wildly with 3 foot canes covered in powered mildew. I want to remove or kill the plant but the roots are very thick and gnarled. I have no idea how long they have been here but it looks like they have had very little care. Any suggestions? Thank for any help!
It is highly likely that the powdery mildew bush is actually one where the desired rosebush died. The rootstock portion of the grafted rose took over. The hardy root stock rosebush will take over quickly if allowed to do what it wants to. I recommend pruning it way down, dig out the root system as best you can. I have had to use an axe to break them up before as they can be a real monster to deal with. Rake out as much root matter as possible too. If shoots still come up, paint them with an Herbicide solution and that should keep them at bay.
