Knowledgebase

Rosette Disease #750377

Asked May 17, 2021, 11:56 AM EDT

Please see attached photo. Do my roses have rosette disease?

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

This does not look like rose rosette disease: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/rose-rosette-disease  Here are some more good photos: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/PP317

This looks more like either cold damage of tender new growth or herbicide damage. Was an herbicide used nearby?  Damage from drift is common when there are been a lot of wind, like we have had lately.  2-4D is especially notorious for causing herbicide damage, but glyphosate and others will also. Some herbicides can remain in the plant for a year. https://extension.umd.edu/resource/herbicide-damage-trees

Since the new foliage and buds look pretty good, it may be that the shrub will outgrow the damage. You could prune it back to stimulate new growth (and remove poisoned parts). Keep it well watered this entire growing season, into the fall, whenever rain is less than 1" a week, to prevent more stress. 

Ellen

Ellen Replied May 18, 2021, 10:24 AM EDT
Ellen,
Thank you for the quick response.  What a relief to know it's not rosette disease.  I believe you are right about the herbicide.  I applied a systemic insect, disease and mite control product a couple of times.  I should have allowed more time for the foliage to grow before doing that.  Oh well, lesson learned.  I will allow the roses to recover and leaf out before applying anything else.
Thanks again.
Lou Masciocchi

On Tue, May 18, 2021 at 10:24 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied May 18, 2021, 1:42 PM EDT

Products containing insect, disease, and mite control ingredients will not include an herbicide, since herbicides are intended to kill plants. If a hose-end or hand-pump sprayer was used to dilute the chemicals before applying, and this sprayer was used for any type of weed killer first, then herbicide residue could have contaminated the rose spray. (In this case, we always recommend that one sprayer be dedicated to herbicides only, while another can be used interchangeably for pest or disease sprays.)

If this is not what happened, or if you did not use any sort of weed killer in this part of the yard, then the symptoms on the rose may be from earlier cold snaps or other factors. If the new growth keeps emerging normally going forward, either any herbicide effects have worn-off or the situation has resolved itself. If the plant does have a virus, the symptoms will only worsen on new growth and never revert back to normal.

When making pesticide applications, be sure to follow label instructions about dosing (unless it's already diluted and ready-to-use), intervals between applications, and weather restrictions. For instance, most sprays should not be applied in temperatures above 85 degrees, which we are beginning to experience. Too-high a concentration of pesticide or weather conditions which stress the plant may result in phytotoxicity, which is temporary damage to plant parts akin to a chemical "burn." This is not to say that this is what happened here necessarily, but something to be aware of now that we're moving towards summer and most rose sprays require multiple treatments per season to remain effective.

Miri

Thanks for all the info.

On Tue, May 18, 2021, 3:27 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
The Question Asker Replied May 18, 2021, 3:37 PM EDT

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