Chop the main root with a shovel, but leave sucker in place another year. That should encourage roots to grow. Pruning back the top some when transplanting should help, too.
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Strange that people have low survival rates. I have fewer suckers on my CJs than I do on my Juliets, but of the 20 or so suckers I’ve dug up I don’t think I’ve lost a single one. I’m not sure if I’m doing anything differently.
I dig them when dormant, but pretty close to when they’ll break dormancy and try to leave at least 4 inches of the root on either side. Then I cut back the tops by at least half, if not three-quarters. I pot them into pots between 2 and 5 gallons depending on the size of the sucker and leave them where they are mostly shaded, but maybe get a little morning sun.
The only ones I don’t really know about are suckers I’ve sent to other members in trades, etc.
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I did that last spring but dug them up in the fall and potted them. I’ll see how they do this spring.
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I am on the other side, none survived , several inches of attached roots on both sides. I’ll try your method this year to see if it makes different.
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I think it totally depends on your environment. Last year I tried a bunch of haskap cuttings, hardwood just stuck in the dirt, only a few took out of several hundred. Others have much better success rate. Where I am it warms up quickly and the humidity is much lower than many areas, so Im guessing what happens, if the cuttings are too exposed, they dessicate and dye before they get a chance to grow roots.This spring Im going to try hardwood cuttings under mist, in a more controlled environment, but still outside, just to see what happens.
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