Prized rosebushes in North Texas are at risk from an infection called ‘Rose Rosette.’ The disease is incurable and has already cost Southlake about a half-million dollars. Steve Huddleston is the senior horticulturist for the Fort Worth Botanic Garden and he joins KERA's Justin Martin for a look into ‘Rose Rosette.’
What is 'Rose Rosette'
"Rose Rosette is a disease caused by a virus. It's spread by this mite that feeds on infected rosebushes and then transmits the virus to healthy rosebushes. If the mite doesn't crawl there himself, he can be borne along by the wind."
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Symptoms
"This disease really causes a mutation of growth, there are several symptoms..."
- Elongated shoots
- Red or yellow leaf distortion
- Shoots and foliage have an abnormal red color
- Stems appear thick and succulent and/or have an overabundance of thorns
- New growth may have many branches that create a witch’s broom
- Deformed buds and flowers
- Abnormal flower color
Where 'Rose Rosette' came from
"It's been here (Texas) for a good two or three years maybe four years. It was first recognized in the Rocky Mountains back in the early 40s - but it has taken that long to come to the Metroplex and it is here in full force. It's been in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, even Missouri."
What to do with an infected rosebush
"There is no cure for this disease. So what we encourage people to do is to take a large bag (perhaps one of those lawn bags) put it over the bush so you're covering the roses, and you dig up the rosebush roots and all - and get rid of it. Throw it in the trash, don't compost it, send it to the landfill."
- Cover infected bushes with a trash bag
- Remove infected bushes (roots and all)
- Don't compost - send bag to landfill
