- The management for Rose Rosette
is something that's a little bit difficult
because as we learn more and more,
we're learning more about different management strategies.
So be sure to check back at the roserosette.org
or the combating Rose Rosette Facebook page
to try to get the most up-to-date information.
One of the most important things
that we have learned in this project
on combating Rose Rosette is about pruning.
A lot of times people have claimed
that they have successfully removed Rose Rosette
by pruning and that they didn't see the disease again
for three months or six months.
In research trials that were conducted
at University of Tennessee by Dr. Mark Wyndham,
he found that pruning is not that effective.
They did long-term studies
that lasted about a year looking at pruning
and found that it's only effective about 40% of the time.
And that means about 60% of the time, pruning fails.
In the meantime, if you've tried
to remove Rose Rosette by pruning,
you may have the virus in the plant,
it's just not actively expressing those symptoms.
Sometimes there's a latent or asymptomatic period
before a virus expresses.
And sometimes the virus actually
goes down into the root system.
So you may see a delay in the expression of the symptoms.
It doesn't mean you eliminated the disease.
It's also not known if the mites
that transmit Rose Rosette could pick up
that virus in the meantime.
So rather than pruning,
the recommendation if you have a plant with Rose Rosette
is going to be to remove that plant.
When we remove that plant
it is important to try to contain the mites.
So the first step in the process is going to be,
if at all possible, to drop a trash bag
over the top of the plant
and tie it off at the soil line.
And if you're not able to use a trash bag,
maybe the rose is too big,
sometimes you can use plastic sheeting
or a drip cloth that you would use for painting
and wrap it around the plant
and kind of tape it up as you go
and then cut it off at the soil line.
The last alternative would be
to cut the rows up piece by piece.
Make sure that you have a trash can handy
so that you can throw that debris in the trash can,
and be sure to put the lid on it as soon as you're done.
Those mites can sense the change
in turgor pressure in the plant.
That plant starts to wilt a little.
And so almost immediately,
they're going to start launching or ballooning
onto the wind to try to get to other roses.
It is important to be sure
to dig up the stump and the roots.
Sometimes those trunks will send up
what we might call a sucker, a new little plant
and that plant very often has Rose Rosette.
So we want to dig out that trunk
and the main part of the root ball.
You don't have to get all of the roots,
but at least try to get the majority
of the root system and also throw that away.
We don't recommend composting because again,
while that material is just sitting out
those mites could be launching off
and looking for other rose plants to feed on.
Lastly, we sometimes get the question
how soon can I replant in the same spot?
If you can allow a fallow or an empty period
that's always going to be suggested.
It just gives that plant, any roots that might remain,
or debris, a chance to decompose.
If you are going to go back in and replant right away
make sure that you have picked up
all the debris and discarded it in the trash.
And then you're going to want to add in some new soil.
Very often that soil is going to be depleted of nutrients.
So we want to amend the soil
so it's ready for the next plant.
And then one thing to check back on
is if you did not do a good job of getting the root system,
check back in two to four weeks,
and make sure there are none of those
little suckers coming up.
If you see those, they need to be destroyed immediately
because they could be new plants that have the virus.
The other recommendation would be
if you've removed a plant,
if you have other roses on the property
to treat those with an application of a miticide,
so that if there are any remaining mites in the area
that they're killed and it reduces
the likelihood of the disease,
and we've talked more about the mites
and miticide applications
in some other parts of this video series.
So please review those if you have questions.
So if you're looking for more information,
you're always welcome to visit the roserosette.org website,
or look to your local County Extension Offices
for information that is specific to your state or region.
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