Arrrgh...RRD on my 'Anaconda of a rose'..dig the roots right now?

12 years ago

Once upon a time, I had 12 New Dawn roses cascading down and covering a brick wall along my back lot line. It was a magnificent sight in bloom. But over the past decade I lost all but one to RRD.

The final rose, more than 10 years old, now has RRD. I gave it a couple of chances when the first branches showed (cut them to the ground, in case it was herbicide damage instead)..but no, definitely RRD.

So I have just cut everything back to just below/at the ground, bagged it and gotten it well away from the 50+ roses in my garden, alcohol treated the lopper and am wondering what to do about the roots. The base of this thing is massive, 3+ feet in diameter with the bud union way below ground and a half dozen giant root systems emerging from below ground that would require a saw to cut through. I can't imagine it will even be possible to dig out as a live plant. The major roots will be yards long and like tree trunks. If I could do it, it would be a back-breaking task.

So I'm wondering whether I can instead leave the below ground stuff in place and 'Round up' any RRD growth that emerges this summmer. Then, once it is greatly weakened or killed, get the roots out. I managed to 'cure' one plant of RRD by forcing it to grow back from the roots (cut back to ground) as I got all of the infection, which was still limited to canes. Usually that isn't the case though and anything that emerges is infected. So I'm assuming it is likely a loss.

Just wondering if there are hazards to leaving the roots in place this season that warrant a massive earthworks project to remove this Anaconda of a rose...

Any suggestions are appreciated!

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Comments (4)

hoovb zone 9 sunset 23
12 years ago
So I'm wondering whether I can instead leave the below ground stuff in place and 'Round up' any RRD growth that emerges this summmer. Then, once it is greatly weakened or killed, get the roots out.

Sounds like the most reasonable course, unless you have a friend with a backhoe. Sorry for your loss. It must have been a beautiful sight at one time.
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stlgal
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for your sympathy. People used to come visit us and ask about having a wedding in the backyard when those guys were in bloom. I guess that watching what comes back gives me the option of seeing if new growth might somehow be disease-free before I kill it too.

Living with RRD has become a way of life here, our botanical garden appears to replace many roses every year and has lost all of its large, gorgeous ramblers to this scourge (including a 40+ foot W Van Fleet that covered an entire wall of their rose garden).

At least they can be replaced as needed. I still have one New Dawn sharing an arbor with some pretty Austins.
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henry_kuska
12 years ago
I would not put Round Up into a place where I planned on planting roses in the future.
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stlgal
Original Author
12 years ago
I'm not planning on replanting in that spot (I think the air currents make it too likely anything I replant there will also succumb to RRD). Right now it is just an ivy covered wall, with evergreens, other shrubs and landscape roses in the bed.

But you're right I never have rounded up before, just cut back and dug up. I've also never dealt with a rose this large before. Maybe you're right and I should just take a wait and see attitude and take out anything that emerges with signs of disease as it appears.

I just wasn't sure whether the major point of spreading infection was the canes or whether once the main plant was gone the mites/virus would leave that plant and go looking for new plants to infect. Creeps me out keeping an RRD plant in the garden, but seems back breaking to think about exhuming it.
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Arrrgh...RRD on my 'Anaconda of a rose'..dig the roots right now?

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Arrrgh...RRD on my 'Anaconda of a rose'..dig the roots right now?

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