Rose Rosette Disease...Need Advice

15 years ago

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for some advice...and wanted to ask people who I know love roses, but also have way more experience than I do, and are more level-headed than I am. A little background...

Some of you may remember me posting about my run in with the rose rosette disease in my community. I must say, my HOA was awesome...after the initial convincing, they pulled out all the infected roses out, and I felt I had bought my roses and myself some time.

Now...the disease rears it's head again...5 miles down the road at a shopping plaza. I went to the local (Big M) nursery down the road to see if they could pull some strings and take care of the issue, but they essentially told me they couldn't care less and directed me to the VA county cooperative extension. I actually went there and was told that the Master Gardener had informed the management company about the issue. I called the management company, and spoke to the woman who handles the shopping plaza and was told that they had sprayed the roses, and felt that some of them did get better, so they have no plans of doing anything else.

I asked for her contact information, and that of the company and wanted to start an e-mail and letter campaign, but then wondered if I was over reacting. Both the "Big Nursery" folks and the woman from the management company made me feel like a lunatic panicking over nothing.

So here I am....I know you folks have gazillions of experience...is this not worth the battle? Is it really not much of an issue? You see I have fallen in LOVE with roses...I'm sorry I am not here as often as I would like because of very small kids, but you folks inspire me...and I would love to be able to grow old with roses...so please give me advice...is this really a storm in a teacup? What would you do?

Thanks in advance...all of you are so awesome with advice always.

P.S. I am in Manassas, VA if that helps.

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Comments (11)

silverkelt
15 years ago
Do not stop, you are doing the right thing.

They are under informed and uneducated apparantly on the subject..

Keep going.
seil zone 6b MI
15 years ago
Keep pushing the issue! Those roses need to go or it will continue to spread. Arm yourself with as much literature as you can get your hands on and send it to them. Repeatedly if necessary. I can't believe the extension group isn't pushing them to remove those roses. They should know better!
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oddy
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you silverkelt and seil...I was doubting if this was worth doing. But your responses have made me feel I'd better give it a shot. I can't believe that the extension is not more aggressive about it!
zepherinedrouhin
15 years ago
I'm a Master Gardener in the Shenandoah Valley. Contact your Cooperative Extension Office. See if the Master Gardeners or Extension Agents can help.
hartwood
15 years ago
oddy, you have mail.
oddy
Original Author
15 years ago
Again...thank you so much for your time.

zepherinedrouhin,
I did go to the Manassas Cooperative Extension Office...that's where I was told that the Master Gardener had already spoken to the Management company. That's why I called the company directly...to see when they were pulling the roses out.

hartwood,
I just wanted to let you know that somehow your mail did not come through...but I did e-mail you with my personal e-mail. Any help, or ideas would be much appreciated.
jim_castlemarne_com
15 years ago
From the information I have been able to gather on the internet, my rose garden has Rose Rosetta disease. Can you help me better understand this disease? I have read it is fatal, there is no cure or relief, the only thing to do is rip everything out and burn it. Is mine the only rose garden in Denver to experience this disease? I have cut down and trashed 5 climbing roses on the front fence, and now am seeing signs on the roses up by the building. To say the lease, I am VERY concerned. Please respond asap. Either via email or telephone-303-331-0621 or 1-800-92 MARNE.
Thank you so much for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Jim Peiker
1572 Race Street
Denver
michaelg
15 years ago
Jim, before panicking about RRD, you should consider whether the problem might be herbicide exposure. Roses are highly susceptible to Roundup, 2,4D, and 2,4-5T--any of these can produce symptoms that can be confused with Rose Rosette Disease. That disease could occur in Denver but is not particularly likely there. RRD is common in central and eastern areas where there are dense populations of wild roses, mainly Rosa multiflora, that serve as a reservoir for the virus.
anntn6b
15 years ago
Jim
Have European Mountain Ash trees been used in landscaping? Are there redbuds nearby?
The closest recent RRD I know of (to Denver) is in Utah, south of Salt Lake City near Nevada Lake. My reporter was experienced and he could find no local source.

Ann

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose Rosette e-book
Tessiess, SoCal Inland, 9b, 1272' elev
15 years ago
Ann, thanks for posting. I haven't read much about RRD up to now, and I obviously need to become better educated about it. It doesn't seem there are very many good options to combat the problem. In addition, there doesn't seem to have been sufficient recognition by plant researchers of the threat to roses in private gardens by RRD.

I looked today in a source I use a lot--Medline via Pubmed, and was dismayed at what I found on the mite, Phyllocoptes fructiphilus. Although there are some cautions mentioned in the abstract, the use of Phyllocoptes fructiphilus is cited as being particularly successful.

Melissa

Here is a link that might be useful: Effectiveness of eriophyid mites for biological control of weedy plants and challenges for future research
anntn6b
15 years ago
Tess,
You'd be especially dismayed if you could go back fifteen years when there were major groups working for Biological Controls of certain weeds. They had some great meetings in exotic (and expensive and luxurious) resorts when they patted themselves on the back for using RRD to control multiflora.
Back then, the main info on the internet parroted the phrase "seldom affects ornamental roses." Well, they were very, very wrong.