The disease that is eventually fatal to roses, Rose Rosette Disease is now attacking Knockout Rose and Drift Rose cultivars. Rose plants will not recover or cope with this disease, becoming ugly and misshapen by Rose Rosette over 2 to 5 years. The best cure for Rose Rosette Disease is prevention. Once infected, the only option is to destroy those plants.

Rose Rosette Disease symptoms can resemble other rose diseases that aren't as serious. Before you begin removing affected plants it's best to be certain your roses have the dreaded disease.

Here are common symptoms of Rose Rosette to look for:
* Stressed growth in leaves, canes, and blooms. This appears as growth that doesn't look normal. Stunted, dwarfed growth in canes, narrow leaves, and odd-looking blooms.
* Bunching of stems, clustering, broom like appearance of stems giving it the name of witches' broom of roses.
* Bright red leaves and stems (not always abnormal, as in many rose cultivars, fresh new growth can be red or crimson). Look for mottled coloration and redness that doesn't go away. This growth will also appear unusual.
* Overall decline and eventual death of the plant.

Rose Rosette Disease is caused by a virus that is spread by a mite that feeds on roses called eriophyid mite also known as the rose leaf curl mite. These are not spider mites, but much smaller mites almost impossible to see with the naked eye. They move on wind currents from rose to rose.

It's thought that this virus first showed up in wild, native rose populations in the US. It then spread to multiflora roses which are considered invasive, imported from Asia to serve as a plant solution for windbreaks and screens. From these invasive roses, the virus spread to infect landscape roses including the once thought to be disease resistant Knock-Out Roses and the Drift series.

Because homeowners have relied so heavily on both the Knock-Out and Drift Rose series, the Rose Rosette Disease has done a lot of damage in wide areas. It's not known why some roses seem resistant to Rose Rosette, but it's shown that Knock-Out and Drift roses are NOT immune.

* Destroy the plant - dig up plant and roots, then bag and destroy
* Limit use of the surrounding soil
* Remove multiflora roses within 100 yards of roses - if cannot then try not to plant roses downwind from the multiforas
* Watch for regrowth from any remaining roots and remove
* Avoid planting any new rose varieties back in the same soil

The mite is extremely difficult to kill, as typical mite killing chemicals don't often work well on this species. Some pesticides may offer some protection such as Sevin, bifenthrin, horticultural oils and insecticidal soap when applied weekly during June and July.

We hope this helps to enlighten you about the infestation of Rose Rosette. It's a heartbreaking disease, but with proper prevention and planning, you can avoid or diminish its effects on your garden and landscape.