Knowledgebase

Rose virus #871870

Asked June 06, 2024, 11:33 AM EDT

I have a New Dawn rose that has some strange new growth that looks different than the rest. It's not discolored, but the leaves are different. I've included some of the normal looking growth in the pictures 

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

The growth at the top by the flower bud looks like it could be the start of rose rosette with the witches bloom type growth. You can sanitize your pruners with some rubbing alcohol and watch for more symptoms. If more growth looks indicative of rose rosette, then you will want to remove the rose incase you have others so the disease doesn't travel. It is passed on by a mite that easily travels in the wind. 

Rose rosette won't stay in the soil, but if this rose got it, it could have come from a wild multiflora rose that is nearby so the likelihood of it happening again would be high.

Emily

I looked more closely and also found these

On Thu, Jun 6, 2024, 3:49 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied June 06, 2024, 4:12 PM EDT
Distorted growth and "witches brooms" (congested, stunted, and/or disfigured growth) are common symptoms of both viral infection and exposure to certain herbicides. Plants infected with a virus (or virus-like disease called a phytoplasma) like Rose Rosette do not recover, and the pathogen is present throughout the plant's tissues, not just where symptoms appear, which is why pruning will not cure the plant. Plants affected by herbicide exposure sometimes recover, but if the exposure was too great, they will gradually decline. Viral symptoms also tend to worsen over time in new growth as the infection progresses, whereas herbicide-injured plants sometimes just stop producing new growth. While we can't conclusively say from photos whether this is Rose Rosette, another virus, or herbicide injury, the best approach is to either replace the plant proactively or to monitor it further (since there is nothing that can be done to treat it) and look for worsening symptoms or signs of recovery.

Miri

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