Rose Rosette Disease on Root Stock?

last year

Hello,

Can Rose Rosette Disease be spread through infected rootstock? None of my other roses show signs of RRD. This is Elizabeth. She is sandwiched in a multitude of other potted plants and roses. She is between Desdemona and Emily Bronte which show no signs of RRD. She was planted last year - something to note is that it came to me 1 year late because DA was having what they claimed to be a problem with growing enough of these. So stock issues? I'm not quite sure but I remember having a tough time because of the quality of roses they sent were disappointing.

So planted last spring and this spring started growing very vigorous canes. I thought wow it's a very healthy rose! No need to worry. Now I'm thinking maybe it was the virus taking over. The new canes all have growth like so. Some members on facebook were saying it is herbicide damage, others said RRD. I think it is for sure RRD. It's my first time dealing with this. I am in Virginia.

Wondering if it is the root stock simply because of the location of this rose. It is not the outermost rose where people can pass by it constantly nor did any other roses show signs. It's also been showing abnormal growth since the beginning of this season - so wondering if this virus is a "sleeper"?

I know there are very experienced rose gardeners on this forum as I first got into roses googling and finding discussions here since 2014! Please bless me with your knowledge about RRD. Should I discard all the roses that were next to Elizabeth, as well?

I gotta say it's pretty awful looking. I put this rose out of it's misery. I cut it all down and trashed the canes. I have the dirt and pot away from the other roses and recently learned I should discard of the dirt as well. So will do that as soon as I can.

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Comments (4)

Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
last year
Yes, get rid of it totally. This does look horrible.

I would watch the neighbors carefully.
Moses, Pitt PA, cold W & hot-humid S, z6
last year
last modified: last year
Get Elizabeth out ASAP! Leave the other roses alone for now, but keep a watchful eye on them. Strange malady, Rose Rosette Virus/Disease, strangest thing is its strickening a rose beyond hope, and leaving its immediate neighbors untouched, pristine and unscathed! Keep your chin up! Getting RRD among your roses is just about an initiation into growing roses! It strikes quite a few rose gardeners' bushes with irreverent impunity!

Moses.
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Moses, Pitt PA, cold W & hot-humid S, z6
last year
last modified: last year
Regarding a rose bush getting RRV infected (essentially, the entire bush having the virus in its tissue, rootstock and scion/top graft alike), because the rootstock was infected first, and a healthy scion grafted upon it became infected as well, since there was an exchange of fluids between them? I would say yes, possible, but not regularly encountered.

Rose Rosette Virus is well established in the wild populations of Rosa multiflora in the Eastern USA (you're in Virginia-in the East), and airborne virus carrying mites from roadside and vacant land populations of infected Rosa multiflora bushes are the most likely means of our garden roses becoming infected. Also, those public/commercial landscape plantings of shrub roses, particularly those utilizing the ubiquitous Knock Outs, which are consequently poorly cared for, and contract the virus, thereafter neglegently left in the ground to die a slow, virus broadcasting death, are know to spread it to our home gardens.

Moses.
User
Original Author
last year
Thank you all!

Moses, thank you for your input. So glad I can monitor the ones that were next to Elizabeth.

As for the root stock question, I was wondering if this would be the case because of the area that we have these roses planted is basically in front of a road. We do not have neighbors with lawns/gardens either within close range by any means. We have an open field in the front on the other side of the road, but it is not owned by anyone and is just quite literally a field and then trees.

I'm starting to wonder if the mites did arrive by an outside source, how did they arrive? If by air, I'm wondering why only one is affected and it's the one sandwiched in the middle of the entire garden. Birds? Maybe other bugs carrying it? If so why just one?

I wish there was a way for us to find out more easily so we can prevent it from happening again! As devastating as it is, I'm glad to be rid of it!