Nuisance plant targeted

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | Monday, May 10, 2004 | Dwayne Pickels

[Willie Green]

A local state forester is "spreading the word" about a way to spread a disease to stem the proliferation of one of Pennsylvania's most dreaded invasive plant species -- mulitflora rose.

Thomas Fitzgerald, of the state Bureau of Forestry, has been sharing with colleagues a recipe of sorts for using rose rosette disease to kill the tenacious thorn bushes choking some fields and forests.

Believed to be of viral origin, the disease is spread by a microscopic mite species, said Fitzgerald, a service forester with District 4 in Laughlintown, Ligonier Township.

"But this method bypasses the mite and speeds up the process," he said. "It's a biological method that does not involve the use of chemicals."

[Willie Green]

Gotta get rid of the jagger bushes.

[Willie Green]

ping

[farmfriend]

ping

[DWPittelli]

Will this "cure" lead to clouds of disease-spreading mites wiping out all the other Rosa species and ornamental hybrids? If they're susceptible, then this method sounds a lot more extreme than using Brush B Gone or Roundup.

[bird4four4]

a recipe of sorts for using rose rosette disease to kill... (the desease is) believed to be of viral origin

Some state worker in Penn, spreading a desease, he does not even know if it is viral or bacterial. This does not sound very reasurring to me.

[glock rocks]

fact sheet with pics...

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/dnap/invasive/8multirose.htm

[hedgetrimmer]

Multiflora rose produces many clusters of 1 inch-wide, white flowers in the late spring. Small, bright red fruits (rose hips) develop during the summer and remain on the plant throughout the winter.

Sounds charming to me.

[Domestic Church]

Multiflora is beautiful in bloom and the wildlife use it for shelter etc.