Rose Rosette

Rose Rosette (RRD), Viral

My professor once describe Rose Rosette as the Ebola of the plant world. A highly contagious, likely viral disease, it is a death sentence to any ornamental rose that catches it. While the true pathogen is still up for debate, the contagion causes extreme mutated growth in roses similar to what is seen with witch's broom in woody plants. Eriophyid mites, nearly invisible to the naked eye and carried by the wind, are the confirmed carrier of this disease. While not new, recent years have shown more documented cases of Rose Rosette. Often if one plant has this disease, it will spread to others within at least a mile radius. As this disease is fatal, the best option is to kill the rose bush before the disease progresses, hopefully preventing further spreading. This means pulling it up completely, roots and all, and waiting at least two years before planting more roses. There is no spray that effectively keeps the mites away.

The rose bush in this photograph and other ill ones nearby, were removed within days of this picture, and replaced with a lovely native sage known as Greg's Sage which is just as colorful and blooms just as often.