Henry, I've talked with Alma and her major professor about her thesis. It's one of those written as chapters suitable for publication. Both told me that the two (of four total) that deal with RRD (then) are the two published in Weed Science with several co-authors. Can your library access Weed Science? If not, let me know. Cutting off an infected cane HAS to be done before the virus moves down into the roots (assuming stem meristem infection) and back out. I've saved several roses from different classes in my yard by catching the problem when only a single leaf node (or three on one side of the cane) were infected in fall. I saved an American Pillar in spring when it was out on a cane about ten feet from the roots. I've never saved a HT, and I've only seen RRD on HTs in spring. That may have something to do with the transmission times in fall to late fall. The one thing that (I don't think) has been addressed is what it is about RRD that ultimately kills the host rose. Epstein and Hill reported a lack of sugar to starch conversion in long infected canes. The odd thing that I watched this year was that some roses I've watched for four years finally got down to scrawney, skinny leaves often with PM and then they died in May (which was not a time of drought or too much rain- just really nice weather.) We know from Glen Viehmeyer and Percy Wright that both saw RRD overwinter in the colder parts of Canada. I don't think we know much about temperature and the whole batch of EMARviruses.

The follwing was stated by jokewing: "jJust wondering why henry kuska ONLY makes posts having to do with diseases and death? Has anyone else noticed this? Why is he even worried about roses if the thinks they are so disease ridden? " H.Kuska comment: Jockewing, perhaps your own post is a good explanation as to why I feel knowledge about what is known/unknown about rose diseases is important. "Posted by jockewing 9a (My Page) on Thu, Jul 4, 13 at 16:18 Yes Thornton, I hope you are right. With the amazing science we have today, I'm surprised more roses with such qualities have not been released. It just baffles me that the most beautiful flower we are able to grow is plagued with so many problems. Why must that be? There are so many beautiful plants that are such a breeze, but in my opinion nothing is so special as a classic hybrid tea rose. Why must they be plagued with so many diseases and pests? I admire the Knockouts, but I just don't think they are beautiful except perhaps in mass plantings from a distance, say at a commercial building or along the highway. We want giant flowered hybrid teas with the same vigor!!! It really makes me sad that virtually NO ONE I know in my area grows any classic hybrid teas at all, with may the exception of a few here or there, usually in an older neighborhood." http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/roses/msg0715030426702.html ----------------------------------------------- Additional H.Kuska comment: If you are interested in my other contributions to rose growing why not do a Google search with the search terms: "Henry Kuska" and roses or you could get a partial view at the following thread: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/roses/msg0411322117173.html Here is a link that might be useful: link to earlier thread This post was edited by henry_kuska on Sun, Oct 20, 13 at 16:33

Did Blue Girl show other symptoms of RRD? Did the canes that started red turn green? Or did other symptoms arise on that bush? Transmission within a garden seldom has ever happend in that sort a period of time. The vector mite populations don't spike until September in zone 5 conditions (this from the juried scientific literature.) When the rose arrived at your home from Michigan Bulb, was it leafed out, or was it bare of leaves, and had it been dipped in wax? You may not have heard of RRD before this happened. Most people haven't. But you might want to consider that the disease has been to the north of you in Canada, to the south of you in Pennsylvania, in every county in Ohio to the west of you. And so far, I've seen it to the east of you in the BBG in Brooklyn...in the middle of the city. The vector mites are easily carried by winds and fall infections on hybrid teas show most often in new growth the following spring. This I know from my own garden experiences and it fits what others see, as well. There is no way to say where the vector mites came from that infected the rose in your garden that is near your new rose. (And there is no lab test to identify the disease; experienced plant pathologists depend on a collection of symptoms for identification.) There is NO reason to tear up an entire rose bed. As suggested above, remove the sick rose(s). That's what we do when other diseases strike and it works for RRD. Do look upwind of your home for Rosa multiflora. You may find it along stream beds or even growing up into trees. With the disease pressure on roses to the north west and south of your state, RRD is moving into New York, even though it doesn't get talked about. Good luck. Don't panic or make yourself ill about this. I can say this because I've been dealing with RRD in my garden for ten years. I continue to grow roses. I loose a couple of plants each year to RRD. There's RRD in wild roses three miles away. It's become a fact of life, but I can enjoy the ones that live and try to mourn the ones I loose....a lot like life, really. My E-book linked below has twelve chapters about rose rosette as well as a FAQ. It's based on a lot of visiting other gardens with RRD in them as well as a lot of research. The Bibliography at the back is up to date, science wise, if you can stand to read about the intentional spread of RRD to kill multiflora.

My sympathies as I have also lost favorite roses to this horrible disease. This weekend I was at the District Conference for the ARS and there was much talk about RRD and other pests and diseases. The term we loved was 'be a tall shadow in your garden' meaning be a presence there to look over everything. We all get busy, lazy, sick, hurt and can't be out there all the time. But when we can we need to be aware of what it looks like normally so we know when something is not right. I was able to save one bush by noticing some weird growth at the tip of a cane, which I cut out. 3 years later, and so far no more signs of RRD on that bush. This fall I found some suspicious growth on another rose, so I cut out that cane. Time will tell. If Little Mischief looks ok, then you can plant next to it. I would think all of the mites are dead or dormant at this time of year. But watch Little Mischief very carefully when it comes out of dormancy in the spring. That is when RRD can show up.