Welcome
to the World of Rose Gardening or Rose Gardening World. Take time and smell the roses. Roses
have been around for millions of years which just prove that roses are not
difficult to grow. The Rose is also
our National Floral Emblem and the
state flower of several states. Here at Rose Gardening World, you’ll find rose
articles that will educate you about roses – its history, rose culture, rose profiles
and even rose verses all in one place.
So visit Rose Gardening World
often.
I have seen
the look on the face of gardeners when somebody mentioned ROSE ROSETTE
DISEASE. It seems that few gardeners have heard about it. There was an
article about it years ago on the American Rose Magazine, Jan. 2003 issue. Below are excerpts which are very important
for us to know.
“Rose Rosette Disease (RRD) is a
growing danger to ornamental roses in the eastern half of the United
States. This virus-like disease is
contagious, incurable and almost always results in the death of the rose. No ornamental roses are known to be
immune. A puff of wind can drop an
infection carrying mite onto a rose at random.
Symptoms may not appear for weeks, and the disease may not be recognized
for months. In that time, RRD may spread
in a garden. We cannot prevent
infection, but if we recognize symptoms early, we can minimize the impact of
RRD.
Early symptoms may include foliar
distortion and susceptibility to powdery mildew at a time when other roses are
not affected. The reddish purple color,
which is common on spring and fall growth on many healthy Hybrid Teas is often
associated with RRD. On healthy roses,
the color “disappears” gradually as the leaves and canes age. On RRD infected roses, the color persists.
Leaf shape varies from the norm. Some are thinner in shape and barely resemble
leaves. A shortened distance between
leaves on a stem or cane is another symptom.
Oddly colored veining consisting of a bright red to dark red pattern
(which is also called mosaic pattern) following the veins in leaves has been
reported as an early symptom of RRD.
Excessive thorniness in a rose that
normally has two or three prickles per inch may have 50 or 100. Canes may appear swollen and have increased
caliper. Thick new canes growing from a
significantly thinner, older, less thorny cane and rapid elongation of new
canes is also common in roses with RRD.
Cane growth in a spiral pattern should arouse suspicion. A mass of scraggly, contorted twigs emerging
from a single leaf axil is another symptom.
Symptoms of RRD only appear in new growth, not old. In that way, RRD differs from other rose
diseases which affect existing leaves and canes.
RRD-infected roses may not bloom, but
new infection may allow some normal growth, only to affect new leaves (size)
and new buds (deformed). When they
bloom, the resulting blooms will not look like blooms on healthy plants. Often, the petal count is reduced and the petal
shape and margins changed. Seldom is the
petal color the correct color for that cultivar. Often blooms gone wrong are the first
characteristic because we enjoy roses for their blooms.”
If the
above symptoms are present, prune the infected area and watch the growth. If it has RRD, it will never get better. Discard the rose and save your garden. It could infect your whole rose garden. Hopefully extreme cold weather will kill the
mites that are spreading the disease around.
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