Rose rosette disease shows up in Colorado

6 months ago

last modified: 6 months ago

Fortunately, it was not in my own garden, for which I am grateful. My fingers are crossed.

It was found on the CU Boulder campus a few weeks ago, and has been tested and confirmed.

I am sharing this information for Colorado rose growers who have not had to deal with this issue up until this point.

By I think we all know that this disease is fatal, incurable, and spread by mites; and that any infected plant should be removed, bagged, and discarded.

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nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska

6 months ago

Sympathies! It has been in Nebraska for ages (apparently some of the first cases were identified here 50+ years ago), but it's a shame it has crossed into Colorado. That means that parts further west are at risk, even with all the precautions that places like California have taken over plant imports.

Here on GardenWeb we are blessed to have Ann as a national resource sharing her writings and personal expertise on RRD. Ironically she posted recently having RRD in her own garden again, so we're not immune even with advance knowledge. Still fighting it with removal is our primary weapon, and the arboretum CT talked about needs to take that seriously. Our local endowed rose garden lost 90% of their roses to RRD (the same year I lost all mine, and it might have been the source of transmission after I helped prune). They were wise to take them out but have been rebuilding.

Hope your yard stays clean Rosefolly!

Cynthia

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Comments (8)

C T
6 months ago
I was shocked and disappointed watching a video about roses by the JC raulston arboretum and hearing they just ignore the RRD infected roses, along with other wrong information that even I, who just started growing roses and know close to nothing, noticed.

So unfortunately no, not everyone knows and even gardens that should know better risk spreading it to their roses and other people’s roses. Luckily in CO they acted on it.

(For people who want to have their blood boil, the video is called “the midweek program: deeper in the garden: roses”, and it’s shocking)
Rosefolly z5 thanked C T
Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
6 months ago
Terrible news.
Rosefolly z5 thanked Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
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rosecanadian
6 months ago
Wow! I'm sorry that the mites are in Colorado now.

Cynthia - you couldn't have known. Not your fault.
Rosefolly z5 thanked rosecanadian
stillanntn6b
6 months ago
The vector mite was known and described before the disease was seen. Kiefer described a huge number of mites that he found in California. The RRv mite was found and described from the hip of a wild rose east of San Diego.

I don't think we know if other eriophyid mites can be vectors ?
sabut
6 months ago
last modified: 6 months ago
@C T I saw RRD at the JC Raulsten a few years ago and reported it to the staff. Their director responded within minutes thanking me and saying their protocol was to remove them. He followed up later the same day saying the rose had been removed. So I see no problem with their RRD awareness.

If you see some infected roses, report to them. Their volunteers may simply not have the knowledge to recognize RRD.
C T
6 months ago
@sabut

I have never been to the JC Rauston, maybe some day, but I have watched several of their videos on youtube and find them interesting and educational, which is why I was so shocked with that one, you can search for it and watch it yourself, it’s ”deeper in the garden: roses”, posted about 2 months ago and it wasn’t an intern doing the talk (not the director either, but I forget names). I think it was more towards the end of the video.

(sorry I only saw your comment now, I have been busy with other things and not checking here lately)
C T
6 months ago
My mistake, the video was by Greg Paige who is indeed their director of horticulture, and I looked at the transcript and they mention RRD around 49 minutes.

I took a screenshot of the beginning and will try to add it here. It continues in the following minutes.