Long ago, when Downy Mildew raised its head here in CA -- after no one had seen it in decades -- some of us thought we might have fire blight. Baldo Villegas spotted the real culprit.

In fact, I've never heard of anyone actually having for real fire blight. So, I think if it were me, I'd talk to the local Dept. of Agriculture folks and find out about getting a real diagnosis (which would probably be accompanied by suggestions for treatment).

Jeri

That was probably my account of the final straw for Angel's Camp Tea you are remembering, floridarose.

I saw fire blight in the pear orchards around Ukiah (northern CA) when I was growing up (yes, there WERE pear orchards there, way back when, not vineyards...). It would happen in the spring, after warm, rainy weather. That kind of weather not being so common out here, it certainly didn't happen every year.

It was that time of year and that kind of weather when ACT was afflicted -- 1/3 of her canopy on one side went brown and died over just a few days. Around town at the same time, I saw some other rose-family plants with the same symptoms, including a pyracantha on the property up the hill from me. ACT had grown particularly fast in her primo spot the previous year and so had a lot of soft growth, which I thought contributed to the situation. It had never happened before and hasn't happened since that year. I didn't think twice about taking her out IMMEDIATELY (being somewhat disenchanted already with the PM, etc.)

So, based on what I observed (but being no expert, by a long shot), fire blight seems a good candidate, at least. But the symptoms of a bunch of diseases caused by bacteria and other pathogens are a lot alike, so I think Jeri's suggestion of consulting with the local Cooperative Extension is a good one.

~Debbie

I'd be very surprised if it were fire blight, especially this time of year in Florida, unless you are using overhead irrigation. I've never seen nor heard of it on roses in Florida. The extension service can have it tested and the pathogen identified.

Thanks, Jeri and Debbie.

Malcolm, that's what I wanted to know, whether we even had it here, but I do irrigate with overheads.

In my own California garden I have only ever seen fireblight on pears which are highly susceptible to it. I took our young pear tree out for exactly this reason. Apples can and sometimes do get it. Fortunately so far my apples have not done so. Loquats get it, too. I eye our loquat tree with suspicion. It is large and gorgeous but if it were up to me, it would be gone as a source of potential contagion. However my husband loves this tree so it is safe from removal.

Roses are closely related to apples, though not as closely as pears are. Yes, roses can get it. However, I have never seen a rose with fireblight. The ends of the canes will have a blackened, burned look, as though they had been held in a flame. This is most frequently seen at the site of blossoms.

I do water with overhead irrigation. It does have benefits.

If you do see this symptom on your roses, cut back deeply on the cane where it occurs, way past where the symptom is present. This is the only occasion where I personally think it worth sterilizing your pruners between each cut. Then put the pruned wood into the trash, not into the compost.

Nasty stuff, fireblight. I hope you don't have it.

Rosefolly

Agreed with Rosefolly -- while it has been recorded on Rosa, it is exceedingly rare on roses, and I've never seen one. On the other hand, pear and loquat trees here commonly get it (on our campus), so I know it's here. Of course I suppose it may be a different strain than attacks roses, but as I say, I've never seen it on a rose here or anywhere.

The same thing happens to my roses, but it seems to affect only my hybrid tea roses on Fortuniana.

None of the roses in my garden have died from it (knock on wood!)

Well, back to the drawing board. Thanks, all.

I had fireblight attack my apple tree and it's a tough thing to fight being spread by bees and all. I hope it's not fireblight. You might want to look at the UC Davis page on fireblight on apples to see if it sounds like what you have. In any case, sterilize pruners well before EVERY cut.

There is a bacterial blight of roses that is not the same as fireblight. The symptoms are as you describe, plus there are oozing sores on the lower canes that serve to reinfect new growth. Copper is the control. Some copper products can be applied systemically to the soil. For information about that, you can search verticillium japanese maple. One of my roses had bacterial blight. I was advised to remove and bag or burn it. However, nowadays there may be a cure.

Michael, I haven't seen open sores, but the cane blackens from the top down and even when pruned to good wood, the cane continues to blacken and die. As they continue to blacken, they develop a red fuzzy growth. All dying canes may do that, but I have only observed it on the sick roses. I have been applying a copper drench, simply out of desperation, and it seems to be slowly working. I'm afraid to replant where these roses have died as the one time I tried it, the new rose died, although in a different manner and much more quickly than the original rose in that spot.

Thanks, Rosefolly, for the info. Avalon, what are you treating it with? Interestingly, my one hybrid tea on Fortuniana didn't get it nor did the Chinas, but many of the teas and Austins did. Safrano was particularly hard hit but so far is surviving. Most of the original ones that had it the worst, I did as Michael suggested and dug them up, bagged them, and had them hauled off. I since have treated the soil with a copper drench.

You'd really do better to get an accurate diagnosis.

Else, you risk treating with something that exacerbates the problem.

Jeri

I don't treat my roses with anything other than soap & baking soda if BS gets too bad, and even then it's been years since I did that.

I just cut the disease cane and hope for the best.

Oh, and I just remembered,( how could I forget!), I lost Wm. R. Smith to "cane dieback"- it never was a strong rose for me, and it may have been in too much sun. Water stress may have been part of the problem.

Do you have sand or actual soil? I have only "mulch-eating" dry, dry sand, and I have noticed that if a rose grows beyond the hole I dug for it, I could lose it unless I mulch the heck out of it. Raised enclosed beds work best here.

Avalon, pure sand, but each planting hole is enriched with horse manure and clay, then the entire bed is mulched with 50/50 mix of horse manure and wood shavings twice a year. Originally, this infection was too virulent to simply cut out canes, because more continued to die. However, since I've been treating with copper, it has improved, and now I'm just removing canes.

Jeri, I haven't contacted our agricultural agent, but I did hire a rose maintenance service that told me it was fungal and to treat with copper, but they did not have an actual name for the particular disease.

You should take samples to the county ag extension or cooperative extension office. They will send it to the state lab for diagnosis. Chances are your yard man doesn't know a whole lot about exotic rose diseases.

Fire blight is a serious bacterial disease that is most damaging in years when above normal spring temperatures are coupled with frequent rains during the blossoming period. The term "fire blight" seems to apply because the plant or tree branches and trunk turn black as the plant dies.

Fire blight is a serious bacterial disease that is most damaging in years when above normal spring temperatures are coupled with frequent rains during the blossoming period.

We have 2 pears that get some pretty nasty cases of fire blight (on my list of garden fairy pruning fix wishes) But I don't think I have even seen it on the loquats (now gone)

Reminds me of the need to keep pruners clean (and mom away from the pruners)

What I remember as distinctive about fire blight is that, besides the blackening, if it occurs at the end of a shoot (as is often the case), the shoot curls or bends at the end, kind of like the end of a burnt match sometimes does. I had always thought that this is why it acquired its name.

Cath

yes, it is a nasty thing....and it does not occur in isolation - there will usually be a local outbreak. Certainly, in the UK orchards, it is now a notifiable disease (which means we must contact DEFRA if seen anywhere) and is, thankfully fairly rare. Have never seen or heard of a rose succumbing. On the other hand, I have had a 2 year battle with some awful business concerning Ghislaine de Feligonde which looks as though it has been attacked by girdlers although there are no obvious signs apart from the completely dead and crispy canes throughout the plant. Only GdF is affected despite being practically intertwined with several other roses. Still at the cane cutting stage and have not considered full-on removal yet.

Camp, I'm about ready to give up the battle and SP the roses I've been trying to save and just replace them. I'm stubborn and probably should have already done so.