Send your photos to Edmunds and ask them what those nodules are.

They don't look good to me. I did have root gall once but the gall, (the size of a walnut in shell), was on a thinner more remote root, not firmly attached to an anchor root. It was the one and only gall on the entire root system of a young own root that I dug because it had an ugly bloom, but above ground was healthy, robust, and normal looking. The big surprise was how large the gall was, hard as a rock, and being fed by a slender secondary root, barely touching it, not embedded in it.

Moses

I spoke to Edmunds this afternoon, but the customer service rep said she didn’t know anything about roses. She had me send in the photos so that someone else could take a look, but told me I won’t hear back from them until sometime next week. I’m hoping to crowd-source more information from the experienced rosarians in this forum before I hear back, because the customer service interaction I had today leads me to believe that the company might not be particularly invested in diagnosing the issue if it will cost them (or more precisely, their parent company, Jung Seed) money.

Edmunds also thinks it perfectly reasonable to tell you that you’re buying an own-root rose, send you a grafted rose instead, then tell you it’s not eligible for return. When pushed, they relented and said they would reimburse me, but only if I ship the rose back at my own expense. Honestly, at this point I’m so disappointed and frustrated that I wish I could just return the entire order and be done with this company for good.

I would take this rose to the local extention office, they supposed to diagnose it. Agree with Moses, doesn’t look good.

I have never seen nodules like those before, I hope you get a good honest answer. Edmunds doesn’t bake their own Raspberry Cupcakes, they get them wholesale from Star like most everyone else, so I hope they can get to the root of it Such a shame, those plants llook robust otherwise.

Parkbench, it's me again, Moses. Edmunds used to be a top notch rose supplier, but this was back in the early 1990's, almost 35 yrs. ago. They sent roses with root systems almost as long as your arm, as long as they were when they were dug, not those chopped off miserable things that could take well in a warm, balmy climate, a zone 8/9, but in a zone 6, where youare, Detroit, they will take if the best measures are taken in their care. Why they chop off roots is so that they don't have to be so careful in handling them, in crowding then, and getting away in using shorter, easier to handle boxes for shipping to you. Nasty business...shameful. Back to the nodes.

Back to the nodes. They're not normal. Who knows what they are. Only a rose specialist with advanced horticultural credentials could be expected to diagnose them correctly. Why do you have to go to the trouble of contacting a local government official who more than likely would have to look up what's up....not having intimate knowledge of rose pathology very probably. Would that instill confidence in you, and lead to a resolution of your dilemma?

Contact your card company, let them take over. Ask for a complete refund, and a return, postage paid shipping label if Edmunds so wishes. Card companies are little warriers in battle for their card holders.

This is my advice.

Moses

Do not plant those roses under any circumstances. Could be rose root knot nematode damage, galls of various sorts, etc., just keep them on hold for now. If you are instructed to keep the roses after a refund is given just wrap them carefully in several layers of plastic and put in household trash. Any tools or utensils that have come in contact with any parts of those roses need to be sanitized. That soaking water needs to be flushed down a commode. Do not spill into the ground anywhere where it can contaminate your land.

Moses

I asked this on another discussion, but received no response.

Does Star itself produce its own roses?

I know of the Star-Ball and Ball-NPN connections, and I know the Star roses sold by HD locally here have Ivy Acre tags, and I read this:

https://www.greenhousegrower.com/management/finance-operations/perpective-dave-foltz-president-of-ivy-acres/

I wonder who sells Star roses to the HDs here - Ivy Acres or Star?

Parkbench: if you can determine who produced your RC roses, contacting that entity directly may get you a quick response.

In the interim, I agree with Moses, who would have made an excellent infection control nurse.

I had some similar to those on my palatine roses a few years back and they were not diseased. I reached out to them since it looked pretty bad to me and They explained they little nodes starting the growth process of more roots and so far my plants have been healthy. I am no expert just sharing my experience with palatine which is a seller I really trust. I have no experience with your seller.

I would keep them quarantined or like previously adviced dispose of them altogether and not risk it. They look pretty suspicious.

Edmunds Roses was owned by the original family until they sold to Jung's in 2005. Their quality and service was superb until then.

Sorry, I don't know about the nodules.

I would probably plant them. I don't think the yellow nodules are a concern since the roots look healthy otherwise. But, I can't say with 100% certainty.

What is adventitious about them (the tiny roots expected to emerge - from roots)?

And is the Rose Geek not saying ” … advantageous roots”?