Knowledgebase
Can rose buses loaded with gall be saved or should they be destroyed? #880031
Asked August 03, 2024, 1:02 PM EDT
We have 3 rose bushes with gall. There is gall on almost all of the limbs, no leaves about 1' to 1.5' from the ground up, and the leaves are curling. Mixed reviews on whether we should remove the entire plants or cut off all the limbs with gall 'balls' on them. There won't be much left of the plants if we do that. One of the rose bushes already lost the battle. Do you have a suggestion about being better to remove all the bushes which is what we believe to be the best decision. I have two more photos I can send but I think you'll get the idea with these 2. One of the shrubs looks like it may also have crown gall. Thanks, Pam
Larimer County Colorado
Expert Response
The HOA suggests we wait until the other 2 rose shrubs have died so that they will pay for the removal. Have been told shrubs infested with this should be removed with the tools and the dirt 'sterilized'.
Thanks for your question. You can't "sterilize" the soil - you wouldn't want the soil to be void of any living thing. You can, however, remove the soil if needed.
Roses can get various types of galls, and I think this is a crown gall. It's caused by a bacterium and the recommendation is to remove the plant and not replant any susceptible species in its place. It's most common on roses, willows, poplars, and fruit trees. In this case, it would not be recommended to replace the roses with additional roses. Fortunately there are many shrubs that you can consider.
It is best to remove these now and not wait until they die. If you do any pruning of the galls, disinfest your tools with a 10% bleach solution or a disinfectant.
