Thanks to Henry as usual, but where is this "new evidence" to be found? And has anyone here cured a case of RRD by cutting back a few inches below the symptomatic part? I had 14 cases that were found early and were not cured by more radical pruning than that (taking the underlying cane to the ground)--vs one case that was cured by cutting the whole plant down.

Wouldn't this also mean that the symptoms must show up immediately? I thought it could take an extended time for the RRD virus to show symptoms. I'm skeptical.

It is very confusing to me to even think about RRD. I use Round Up, and think I might have gotten some Round Up on one of my teas, so I cut it back inches from the ground. The cane in question became larger than the cane it grew from, and the growth was crinkly.

I am tempted to pull it out, and discard it, but it is near the neighbor's fence where I use Round Up because they do not cut their weeds well, and they grow into my rose bed. Since the new crinkly growth is at the very top of the plant, I think maybe I hit it. However, leaving it in the ground can allow it to spread the disease if it is diseased.

We live outside of Tulsa where the Rose Nursery had a disastrous infection, and has lost the entire garden. Frankly I am looking at perennials as I begin to replace some of my roses.

Thanks for the report, Henry.

Sammy

I truly hope this information is good! It would mean that there is hope for a rose when symptoms present and not an automatic death sentence.

Sammy, Round up or herbicide damage does not just go away when you cut the plant back. It's been absorbed into the plant's system and can take a long time to be flushed out completely. If you are sure it is Round up exposure than I would just continue to cut out any abnormal growth. And keep watering it well to help flush it out.

Roundup is so dangerous, I'm surprised anyone is still using it. There must be other ways to take care of weeds than to use an extremely toxic chemical that is so bad for all living things. I've had very good success by putting bricks or tiles over the weeds; without light and air they die.

Wish someone could get the farmers to quit spraying round-up.

I've been using an organic weed spray made out of rosemary oil and it works quite well. however, when you have an invasive situation or something like poison ivy, you will need some kind of chemical solution. However, those should be exceptions. I am trying to get rid of invasive honeysuckle and other vines and privet. The PI Roundup (which works on woody vines) has been quite effective. I don't think homeowner use is the problem. It's the over use of RU on crops ( because of the Roundup Ready GMO crops) is a huge issue.

So this post got hi jacked. One could make the argument farmers are more knowledgable about the exact amount required and with extensive acreage would choose the cost effective amount, just enough to get it done. My neighbor on the other hand with stand there spraying the same spot for way too long.

I'm with Ingrid on this one. I am surprised anyone uses it. I don't want it on my food and I don't want my uninformed neighbors spraying it on anything and everything.

Thanks Henry for this info, I will pass on this info to one of my friends from rose club, he is having a hard time dealing with RRD right now.

For RU usage, I use it about 2-3 times a year to keep one stoned area free of weeds, and I am going to try to use RU to kill some vines growing in the rose gardens, couldn't get the vines out by pulling, need some help from RU.

I doubt that Henry will take credit for this information. Henry's value is that he received from Google all articles that mention roses and he shares them.

We credit him, rightfully so, with sharing the links.

Being from Illinois I can say that if your foods contain soy bean or corn flour you are eating round up.

You are so dedicated to science, Henry. I'm always impressed by your understanding and intelligence. Thanks for sharing with us!

Carol

The post is a bit misleading -- saying "new evidence shows..." because another article said so, but the evidence isn't provided there. In effect, it's a rephrasing of "I heard that..." It would be nice to see something more substantiated. For now, I'm sticking with removing the entire plant if I see any RRD symptoms.

:-)

~Christopher

Last fall, at the national rose convention in Tyler, I attended a round table discussion on RRD. Several university scientists discussed current research in removing afflicted canes, marking the rose, then watching to see if the disease presented in other parts of the rose. One researcher asked for attendees to send him canes with RRD and canes from the same rose that were not showing RRD, or canes from roses that appeared to have survived the disease. I'll have to dig out my notes, but I'll bet he is the person behind the reference "new evidence".

I have been using this method to fight RRD for 3 years now. IF I catch the RRD early, meaning it is only visible on one cane, then I can absolutely stop the progress of disease in that rose. I think this technique failed in the Tulsa Rose Garden because so much of the work is done by volunteers, and to catch RRD early, one has to be extremely vigilant, and really know what to look for in early signs. Between 2008-2012, I dug out 35 infected roses in my garden. Since 2012, I've only had 2 that I had to remove--out of over 350 roses! The disease is rampant in this area, and multiflora rose grows wild nearby. I suspect a few canes I've removed in the past year were just roundup damaged canes, but I'm not taking any chances.

Henry, once you see a published paper on removing afflicted canes, please let us know! I would like to present the official findings to our local rose society. Fewer and fewer people are growing roses because of this problem, and because of the continued perception that roses have to have chemical treatments to stay pretty. I grow organically, and I invite groups to my garden, but for most people, it's easier to buy crepe myrtles, hibiscus, and salvia for summer color. Commercial plantings that used to have long rows of roses now have shrubby cinquefoil!