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Roses on Dr. Huey more prone to disease??

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Hello all!

I've been wondering something lately due to some observations I've made of my own roses, and from a couple of random comments I've read on threads scattered throughout these boards... Are roses that are grafted on to Dr. Huey more prone to disease than own root roses, or roses grafted onto other rootstocks? I can't tell if the roses I have in question are just going to be disease prone no matter what, or if being grafted on the Dr. Is aggravating the issue..

Also, are all bare root plants that come directly from David Austin grafted onto Dr. Huey or do they use a variety of stocks?

I have a grafted golden celebration that gets so large and blooms so beautifully in the spring, but by June it's half naked, the rest of it is covered in BS and looking terrible.. I love it's blooms so much I bought a 1 gallon own root plant last year, and I can't tell if it is just due to the fact that this new one is in a pot & not in the garden, but I swear it fares better than the huge grafted plant I have in terms of resistance...

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Comments (5)

diane_nj 6b/7a
8 years ago
In my experience, it is not the rootstock, it is the grafted variety.

Most of the plants from David Austin are grafted on Dr. Huey, but they have a few that are own root, and they are identified either in the catalog or on the web site. If there is a question, send them an email.
kstrong
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Nope, Diane is right -- it is the grafted variety, not the rootstock that is prone to disease, and determines resistance to disease. The exception to that is when they use an already diseased rootstock -- usually with RMV (rose mosaic virus) -- which happened in the past, but I have not seen diseased rootstock recently with any of the major growers. Other than that, the Dr. Huey roots probably lend the overall rose more, not less, vigor than the original roots (which is probably why that particular rose is sold grafted these days, when the grower can choose either one), and which would also give it more vigor to fight off, or even to grow through, fungal diseases. If you are seeing more disease on the Dr. Huey grafted plants, it might be because that variety was not only not strong enough to grow on its own roots (think Pope John Paul II), but also not a particularly strong variety on the disease front either.
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When I moved to my current house decades ago, I discovered there were a couple Dr. Hueys growing in one of the beds. Since I had so many other things to do (plus I didn't know much about roses back then), I let the Dr. Hueys keep on growing for about 4-5 years. Yes, they are quite striking when they bloom. They would ramble all over about the same time the old-fashioned lavender-blue irises were blooming (evidently, a talented gardener had lived in my house at one time). Everyone would stop and ask about that combination--it was quite lovely. That said, when Dr. Huey quits its springtime blooming, it is a terrible plant--worst disease-monger I've ever grown. Within one month after its lovely spring bloom, it hardly had any leaves left on it--a total blackspot casualty! Even with spraying, I couldn't keep any leaves on that plant until autumn--but it wouldn't bloom again until the following spring. But it was a lovely sight in May! Kate
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I've known people who grew Huey, and it's sometimes strange to remember that, in its day, it was highly regarded. I actually rather like those Merlot Wine blooms myself. If you ever chance to visit Las Vegas in April, be sure to drive through the older neighborhoods, where hundreds of Dr. Huey's fountain and tumble through the little gardens. The only real bone I have to pick with the Doctor is that he rusts badly, here in CA, unless sprayed. Perhaps he won't do that for you. Some of the other rootstocks that have been used can be pretty lovely, too. If 'De la Grifferaie' was remontant, EVERYONE would want it. Manetti is gorgeous in the spring, and seems to be a pretty bush when out of bloom. Odorata -- well, it mildews here, but where that's not a problem, it's a gorgeous once-blooming, violet-scented tree-scrambler. Fortuniana is a beautiful rambler-type. It's remontant here in our mild climate. Mine came from an old cemetery, where it surely began life as rootstock. It's as big as a bus, these days. And for us, the prize of all of them is 'Gloire des Rosomanes,' ("Ragged Robin") which IMHO should be in every California garden. Jeri
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I have not been posting on this forum for a very long time since my wife has been fighting bone cancer for over 7 years. On April 7th 2008 she lost her battle with this terrible illness ! THIS IS A VERY GOOD QUESTION ! It's at all possible that two disease proned roses could produce very healthy seedlings. Here my answer : After 39 years of hybridizing I come to the conclusion that it is 99 percent luck and only one percent planning. Some years back I crossed two roses which never ever had mildew in years. I only spray my roses about 3 to 5 times a season. I had about 500 seedlings and mildew spread like wildfire. After throwing out every mildewed seedling I had only five (5) left. Read my article on my websites Article Page : "25 Years of Breeding for Disease Resistance" Link to my site below. George Mander Here is a link that might be useful: Roses of Excellence
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zack_lau z6 CT ARS Consulting Rosarian
8 years ago
One way to reduce BS is to eliminate common modes of transmission, such as water splashing onto the soil and transferring sticky BS spores to the lower leaves. One might compare how much dirt is transferred to the lower leaves after it rains.
Patty W. zone 5a Illinois
8 years ago
The only other exception that I can think of would be if Dr. Huey does grow well in your soil. You would not know this unless you have dug one up. In my case the roses that were grafted on Dr. Huey. When I dug them out the root was the same size as when I planted them. No wonder they were not doing well.
zack_lau z6 CT ARS Consulting Rosarian
8 years ago
Dr Huey does well in alkaline clay soils often used for growing roses in the USA, but also does well in slightly acid soil. It is relatively easy to raise PH with lime.
Dr Huey likes a PH above 6

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