Another pic

Another...seems 3 of my 6 bushes are hit with this problem.

Have these roses been there for a while? And have they had this problem in the past?

Two or three yrs old.

No. This seems to be a new problem.

This foliage is brand new and it indicates that it was partially destroyed while it was developing. Also it looks like the growing tip was destroyed. Regardless of what caused it you need to prune it all off. Being in Vegas I don't imagine you spray anything and I don't think you have midge so I would guess rose slugs. They can be tiny and they eat the growing tip which can sometimes continue to develop in a deformed way. I have see some of this here in SoCal but not quite like you have. Look for rose slugs on the growing tips and if you find some or possibly something else it will be your answer.

I dormant sprayed in January and applied a systemic pesticide in Feb.

I wish I could distinguish definitively if this is bug/disease -OR- nutrition related. I have to imagine the former, but I don't know how they are getting through my defenses. There were a few aphids a few weeks ago that I got rid of promptly...nothing serious.

And not all of my bushes are affected...just some. Scratching my head here....

This post was edited by Oxboy555 on Sat, Apr 5, 14 at 2:24

I would prune off all the distorted leaves and see what happens. If the distorted leaves do not return, then I wouldn't worry about it.

I don't know about the weather in Vegas--especially during this weird polar winter we had this year, but in Kansas, if those distorted leaves appeared in early spring, I would assume they were suffering from a late night freeze--which is why I'd cut them off. As the weather warms up, no other leaves would be affected..

Kate

You might want to contact your ag extension agent and ask if Chili Thrips have been reported in your area.