"Paul" claimed that the rumor that KO roses "attract" Rose Rosette Disease was NOT true:
http://www.finegardening.com/r...
Like you, he or she pointed out that rosa multiflora is particularly vulnerable to RRD.
BTW, the mites that spread RRD virus are very very tiny mites: [/i]Phyllocoptes Fructiphilus[/i]).
His or her theory was:
"I want to address a rumor that says the cause of RRD are The Knock Out Roses®.
Nothing can be further from the truth.
...
I suspect the rumor started because since so many Knock Out Roses have been planted, they are the most widely seen rose and therefore people blame them."
Me, I don't know.
I went looking for their ancestry, but did not find much.
http://web.extension.illinois....
"... drying diseased leaves and grinding them in his kitchen blender. He sprinkled his roses with this powder while the leaves were damp and watered overhead to create an ideal disease environment"
"The parents of Knock Out™ were bred from two distinct rose groups including at least eight known cultivars. "
William Radler says:
“I keep on selecting the best and continue crossing and crossing,”
http://www.walterreeves.com/la...
