I live out in the country with no close neighbors, so don't know where my roses got it, but I cut and sprayed for 5 years before giving up. I lost New Dawn, Betty Prior, Red and Rainbow Knockout and a David Austin. I still have two climbers that were a ways away. Don't know their names because they were passalong plants. So far they are clean. I sure hope I don't lose them too

Dorothy, I'd blame it on the wind and on those little aphids that get blown around by it and they vector the RRD.I'm sorry you lost your roses.

So far, I still have three roses left---two old passalong climbers that I brought with me from Fort Worth in 1999 and one Graham Thomas rose that we planted way back in 2005. I love the David Austin roses and used to have more of them, but either drought or flooding wiped them out, and I'm afraid to plant any more roses at all. I do not want to bring home RRD on a purchased plant and have it spread to the few roses I still have. I think those of us in rural areas have less chance of having RRD spread to our existing plants, but that doesn't mean no chance---as is evidenced by what happened to yours. As far as I know, no one within at least a mile of me even grows roses, and I hope that doesn't change. I do feel like it is almost inevitable that RRD shows up here sooner or later and gets my plants because it just seems like it is everywhere any more. All it really takes is a good stiff wind carrying some aphids here and there all bets are off.

Patti, There is no cure. The only solution is to immediately remove the affected plants and put them in sealed trash bags and dispose of them. The longer you put it off, the bigger the chance that the RRD will spread to other roses---if not your own, then to others in your neighborhood. I wouldn't delay. I'd get rid of those sick ones ASAP because now they are carriers and will only spread it as it further develops on or within them. Think of them as Typhoid Mary.

Some people try to prolong their plants' lives by pruning away the obviously infected foliage, but since the virus inhabits the entire plant, including the roots, this only allows the disease to survive as long as the rose plant survives, and if it is surviving, it is vectoring the disease and infecting other plants. I believe it is, in part, the slow reaction on the part of people who don't want to give up their RRD-infected plants that is allowing this terrible virus to continue spreading at such high rates. As long as people keep clipping off the worst branches, they are allowing the disease to continue to thrive in that plant and that means it can spread to other plants.

Attempting to control aphids (they spread the RRD) might help slow its spread, but it is almost impossible for a home gardener to be able to completely kill all the aphids with the types of products available to home gardeners. Commercial landscaping companies may have access to stronger systemic products for aphid control, so if you are concerned about the survival of your other roses, you might consider talking with a commercial landscape maintenance firm and see if they think that having them treat your roses for mites could possibly save the rest of your roses.

Sad to say, but these last few years, RRD seems like it is at epidemic levels here in our state and it shows no sign of slowing down. I think that ultimately the only solution will be that perhaps the breeders can breed resistance of this disease into roses, but that sort of solution is a long, long way off if it ever happens at all. I ignore all those people (often people within the horticultural industry) who encourage us to keep buying and planting roses to replace the ones lost to RRD. Really? This is good for whom? Well, the horticultural industry because they sell more roses, but I'm not willing to put my long-term happy and healthy roses at risk by bringing in more that might be infected when I purchase them.

I wish there was a way to buy new roses and grow them on for a couple of years in total isolation before putting them in the ground and risking them bringing in an infection, but there's just no practical way to do that since the wind here blows every which way.

Dawn

Thanks Dawn. I'm in a no-win location up on a hill surrounded by flat land wheat field with a five-wire barbed wire fence to stop the wind. Who knows where these dratted spores came from. The infected rose is on the end of the line and it's old and big. I'm thinking of tying a rope around it and pulling it out with the pickup. Think that would be ok?? I've got Easter dinner to get ready and host Sunday and I'm thinking that might be the quickest way. What do you think??

Here's some information from OSU: http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-9207/EPP-7329web2017.pdf

I had a rose that was just showing signs and missed a root piece. It sprouted a few years back and hasn't shown any sign of RRD, but sadly, isn't quite as pretty as the original.

I say go for it and see what happens. Aphids blow in on the wind carrying the virus, and apparently they can be blown quite some distance. Lots of small insects that vector disease blow in on the wind, including thrips and some small leafhoppers, and we just cannot do anything about that.

I lost two this last spring, but I have kept an eye on my other roses and so far haven't seen any additional infection. I read an interesting article recently on things to try, but honestly, unless it has great heirloom memories attached, I wouldn't mess with it. The best advice has been so make sure your roses are not all clumped together. Separate them and don't have a mono-culture. I lost two roses maybe 10 years ago, and then these two, so it hasn't been all that bad here. I suspect some areas are worse where everyone planted Knock Out roses because they were "easy", ie the homeowners likely aren't gardeners. Their bush gets infected and they let it sit there and it spreads to the next non gardening neighbor. I have two friends that I know of who have infected bushes, but haven't removed them, despite the suggestion :)

Fine Gardening - RRD
Missouri Botantical Gardens - RRD