Rose Rosette Disease
Rose Rosette Disease, often shortened to RRD, is a serious viral disease of roses. It is associated with distorted new growth and is spread primarily by eriophyid mites and by grafting. There is no cure for a systemically infected rose.
Do not diagnose from red growth alone
Many healthy roses produce red, bronze, or burgundy new growth. Colour by itself is not enough for an RRD call. A useful diagnosis looks for a pattern of abnormal growth, compares it with the rest of the plant, and considers recent herbicide exposure, weather stress, insect damage, vigorous basal breaks, and normal cultivar behaviour.
Symptoms worth photographing
- Dense witches broom or rosette-like clustering of shoots.
- Excessively thorny, soft, pliable new growth that looks unlike the plant's normal canes.
- Distorted, narrowed, strapped, twisted, or stunted leaves.
- Buds or flowers that abort or deform.
- One cane or section showing abnormal growth that spreads over time.
- Decline, dieback, or repeated abnormal flushes after the growth should have hardened.
Common look-alikes
- Normal red new growth on healthy roses.
- Herbicide drift or residue, which can cause narrow leaves, stunting, yellowing, and witches broom-like distortion.
- Chilli thrips, spider mites, aphids, sawfly larvae, and other pest injury.
- Heat, drought, root stress, transplant shock, overfertilising, or spray burn.
- Vigorous basal breaks, which can look dramatic but are often healthy.
Common false alarms
Most r/Roses false alarms start with normal red new growth. Red, bronze, or burgundy shoots are common on many healthy roses, especially during a fresh flush. If the leaves expand normally, harden, and turn green without clustering, strap-like distortion, abnormal thorniness, bud failure, or spreading cane decline, colour alone is not a strong RRD sign.
Other frequent false alarms include herbicide drift, chilli thrips or mite injury, aphid-distorted tips, heat or drought stress, transplant shock, pruning response, fertiliser burn, spray burn, and vigorous basal breaks. A useful post should say whether weedkiller has been used nearby, whether the growth later turned green, whether multiple shoots are clustered from one point, whether the thorns are unusually dense and soft, and whether buds or flowers are deformed.
What to do if RRD is plausible
- Take whole-plant photos plus close-ups of the affected cane, leaves, buds, thorns, and nearby roses.
- Compare symptoms over time; progressive distortion is more concerning than one colourful flush.
- Contact local extension or a plant diagnostic lab when available.
- If RRD is strongly suspected or confirmed, remove the plant promptly, including as much root material as practical.
- Bag infected material and dispose of it. Do not compost suspect RRD material.
- Monitor nearby roses and multiflora rose, which can act as an infection reservoir.
RRD comparison tool
Use the RRD compare tool from the sidebar to upload suspect photos and view them beside verified RRD reference images. Mods can add reference examples by approving public images and tagging them Verified RRD.
Sources
Discussion log
Use comments for sourcing notes, corrections, and disputed details.
No comments yet.