Is this some sort of disease?

9 years ago

Back in April I recieved a rose order containing 8 roses. All the roses looked reasonably healthy, though obviously stressed from shipping; they were all own-root bands. Most had two canes, though a few had only one and Neptune was one of the one-cane plants. I wasn't worried about the single cane, however I did notice this odd bark-like growth on the plant. I figured it was probably just a cutting made from older wood and when the bush put out new canes I could clip this one off. Fastforward a month and all my roses are doing marvelously. I let them grow about 3 weeks before I thinned out their branches/leaves so they didn't grow into each other and so they could breathe better. Neptune has not put out new canes and the bark-like substance does not seem to be growing into the new branches. It did put out a bud. It seems to be healthy as it puts out more leaves than my other roses (I've had to thin it twice, as the leaves were killing each other from lack of airflow), but I find myself more and more concerned about the "bark". Any ideas on what it is? Should I dig it up and ask the nursery for a replacement?

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Comments (9)

Rosecandy VA, zone 7
Original Author
9 years ago
Here's another picture, closer up
michaelg
9 years ago
I don't know what the gray stuff is. Roses can be propagated from old, hard wood, but the boutique nurseries don't do it that way, as far as I know. Does it feel like bark?

Yellow markings on the leaves could be rose mosaic virus, or is that just spots of sunlight?
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charleney
9 years ago
Send the pictures to the nursery from which it was purchased and ask them what to do or replace!
Rosecandy VA, zone 7
Original Author
9 years ago
It's spots of sunlight.
It feels like a very thin bark. It isn't especially soft or tough.
mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
9 years ago
I've had cuttings look like that on occasion. Mostly ones that aren't eager to put out additional basals, so it may very well be something that happens with this variety.
nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska
9 years ago
I've received occasional bands that are based on a relatively old cane at the base that is already starting to turn woody. I've got a couple on my patio waiting to be planted that have grey woody canes about pencil thin, so either the nursery used more mature canes for the propagation or the canes of that particular rose age quickly. I can't say for sure in your photo, but it may just be a natural aging process of the canes of that particular rose. Certainly the rest of the foliage looks healthy and I don't think it looks like a problem in my experience, anyway.

Cynthia
roseseek
9 years ago
It looks like normal bark to me. Some varieties produce thicker bark than others. Some produce it earlier, faster than others. Some cuttings are taken from older, "barkier" wood than others. That would often depend upon what is available at the particular nursery and how high the demand is for the variety. You can't compare one variety to another and expect all of them to produce new basals at the same time nor same rate. Some will, but many will not throw new growth in unison. If the variety is not as strong growing as the next as an own root plant, it isn't going to push new basals as rapidly. Some simply refuse to push new basals (grow "Hell'n Trouble" for first hand grief with that!) while others shoot them out like crazy. It all depends upon the genetics of the particular rose variety; its condition at the moment and how suited it is to your conditions du jour. Kim
roseseek
9 years ago
duplicated post edited out

This post was edited by roseseek on Wed, May 21, 14 at 22:32
Rosecandy VA, zone 7
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you everyone! I won't worry about her then, as she does seem to be one of my healthiest roses. it's such a relief that I don't have to shovel her and lose a month's worth of root development.