If the roots were rotted, the cause would be compacted, waterlogged soil. How much have you been watering? Was the dirt sticky with a sewage smell when you dug it?

Root knot nematodes can ruin roses, but not in heavy soils, which you probably have in Kentucky.

Some people firmly believe the soil should be replaced completely or otherwise "sterilized" to kill the bacteria before replanting anything rose in the same spot. Many ignore that and replant with another rose with few problems. Might you remember what the rose the growths were found on was? Knowing what it was could help figure out if it is one which is particularly susceptible, and might help direct you to others which may not be.

Crown Gall can also be mitigated by using products like Galltrol or Gallex if you can find them. Often, you only find the galls on roots or at the crown, but on susceptible types like The Fairy and Flower Carpets (wichurana based) and Ballerina (multiflora based), it's common to find them all along the canes, too. Ashdown Roses pictured a gorgeous old Gloire de Dijon on the rear of a friend's house in one of their catalogs. The next year, the whole plant developed galls all over it and died. I've also frequently found them all over weeping standards of the Meilland landscape shrubs. It's one of those "give it a try and see" type situations. Each "expert" is very likely to have his (or her) theology about it. Personally, it isn't something I've really worried about as I've seen it all over, for the past thirty years, in gardens, propagation fields and on canned nursery stock. I've figured there was always a chance of a rose contracting it because it's in the soil and there is no way to produce a bare root without SOME damage to the roots. It's that damage that permits the bacteria to enter them. I've even had own root plants which have never come in contact with the native soil, develop them in sterilized commercial "soil-less" potting mix. Kim

Of those, three came from ONE vendor. They were all own-root plants, shipped in bands ... so their roots had never been in the ground, that's for sure.

When we received them, WE planted them in big pots in the ground, as a defense against gophers ... so they were still not in the ground. They all grew weakly, and their roots never got out of the pots. When we took them up, all had root gall. And they all went in the trash.

Very disappointing.

I have a multiflora based polyantha which was imported from Germany and pot grown during and after importation. Cutting grown plants were produced from that plant, also pot grown, never grown in the actual soil. MY plant from those cutting produced plants has also never been planted in the soil and it is galled. No soil contact and grown in Miracle Gro Moisture Potting Soil which has no "soil" in it. Where'd it come from?

As I said, some are extremely susceptible to gall and its effects. Others, not nearly as much. I've grown plants which had them for years before declining and others which began their decline before I discovered the galls. I guess if you never want them, the best thing to do is to obtain the bacterial controls and use them, because the bacteria exists many places. I don't know if there are climatic or other environmental issues which make it more probable your roses may contract gall or not.

I've seen it happen right in the middle of a bed of roses which hadn't suffered mechanical root damage, severely affecting a plant or two, but none of the others. One garden had a whole row of Flower Carpets begin a steady, quick decline then break out in them all over the canes before dying. (no big loss, IMHO) Yet none of the surrounding roses have declined. I don't know if they are galled as you can't see any evidence of it above ground and I'm not about to damage and disturb their roots by digging them up. Kim

I don't think I've read many scientific papers about soils and Rosaceae in Tennessee and Kentucky. This leads me to wonder if our problem simply isn't diagnosed because roses aren't a crop in our states.

A lot of tobacco was grown in this part of the world and 'galls' were a problem in tobacco fields. The operative genus of galls being Agrobacterium.

Chances are the sick plant was infected when a cutting was taken either for own root or to start the rootstock plant for grafting. The bacteria enter through a wound, and pruners can carry it from plant to plant. Sometimes you see multiple galls up on the branches, and all are at old pruning sites.