What is a rose rosette disease?
It is a disease caused by a spider mite Phyllocoptes fructiphilus. A mite carrying the disease drifts on the wind and lands into your garden. It will land on your roses and injects disease into the rose. The other term for rose rosette disease is witches'-broom in roses. The one responsible for causing disease is Emaravirus sp. The primary host is multiflora rose, a nonanxious weed abundant in the United States. (1, 2, and 3)Rose Rosette Disease Pictures
picture 1: Plants infected with rose rosette disease.
image source: www.amerinursery.com
picture 2: Differentiating between a healthy rose and a diseased rose.
image source: www.gardengatenotes.com
picture 3: The plant on the left is a healthy rose while the plant on the right has rose rosette disease.
image source: www.ces.ncsu.edu
picture 4: The damaging effects of rose rosette disease.
image source: www.lewisginter.org
picture 5: Rose rosette disease, a widespread disease in some parts of America.
image source: news.aces.edu
picture 6: Observe proper spacing when planting roses to prevent cross-contamination in times of infection.
image source: www.sedgwick.k-state.edu
Rose rosette disease symptoms
- Red pigmentation on the underside of leaf veins.
- Increased growth of the vegetative shoots.
- The leaves of the infected rose are deformed, brittle, and crinkled.
- The leaves are abnormally small, the petioles are short, and the lateral buds grow enormously causing red shoots. (2, 3, and 4)
Can rose rosette spread to other plants?
The virus causing rose rosette disease is host specific. Only roses are susceptible to such kind of disease. It will not spread to other types of plants. However, most rose species and cultivar are susceptible. (5)
Rose rosette disease treatment
Unfortunately, there is no rose rosette disease cure. What you can do though is to get rid of the diseased plants.
The virus causing rose rosette disease is systemic, which means that it cannot be pruned out of the plants. The infected plant should be immediately removed from the site. Make sure that the infected rose is bagged where it stands before removal. (4, 5, and 6)
The virus causing rose rosette disease is systemic, which means that it cannot be pruned out of the plants. The infected plant should be immediately removed from the site. Make sure that the infected rose is bagged where it stands before removal. (4, 5, and 6)
Rose rosette disease control and prevention
- When buying a rose, you have to make sure you are going to purchase a disease-free plant material. Stay away from roses that have symptoms of rose rosette disease.
- When planting roses, make sure you leave enough space for the plants to grow so that the stems will not overlap with the neighboring plants.
- If you notice wild multiflora roses, you need to remove them right away.
- Pesticides and miticides are usually not effective in destroying mites responsible for rose rosette disease.
- Observe good cultural practices to significantly reduce the possibility of rose rosette disease.
- Avoid planting cultivated rose on hilltops or downwind as doing so can make your plants susceptible to mites invasion.
- You should observe proper spacing in between plants as the mite causing rose rosette disease is wingless. It crawls from one plant to another.
- Infected plants should be removed as soon as possible. Uprooted diseased plants should be removed right away so that the healthy plants will not catch the disease. Leaves and debris of the infected plant should be removed as well as they might still have mites that could infect other healthy plants. (4, 5, 6, and 7)
References
- https://wiki.bugwood.org/Rose_rosette_virus_(rose_rosette_disease)#Management
- http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/diseases/viruses/rose-rosette.aspx
- http://www.finegardening.com/rose-rosette-disease-what-do-when-you-get-it
- https://www.amerinursery.com/plants/staying-ahead-rose-rosette-disease/
- http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/ORN/ph_fructiphilus.htm
- https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/rose-rosette-disease.htm
- http://web.extension.illinois.edu/cfiv/homeowners/120517.html
