Appraisal should be given to Mosaic Virus free Nurseries

I was talking to a couple of fellows in the Australian Rose Breeding Association about nurseries given special awards for having virus free plant stock. Its getting to the stage where so many plants sold theses days are infected, not that seems to effect the rose that much , but in the long run it might weaken the plant and looks unsightly.

I think alot are aware, but the $ has more say.

Warren

Warren, not to get into specifics, amongst your Australian Rose Breeding Association, is it know which are "virus free".
Don't forget this forum is open the "guest"

Regards David.

I was just having a chat with them off the record, nothing official.

I'm 99.9% virus free though it doesn't make any difference. Gardeners still buy from nurseries with glossy brochures and Websites. I've done it for personal satisfaction though have never been asked "Are your plants virus free".
My nursery/garden/hobby continues to run at a loss despite best practices concerning Mosaic and other Viruses.
Perhaps I'm too fussy? Who cares anyway?

Every one in the business should care, people buying roses expect some sort of quality control, but the problem with Mosaic Virus, people do not not know what it is. I can remember pointing out to a client of mine, and she said where is it, and then what can I do to fix the problem. It is something I dread bringing in when purchasing plants for breeders, but at the moment I can look a grower in the eye and honestly say my plants are clean. But then again it depends on how you view your product.

Warren

It's a difficult problem to recognise as Multiflora mother plants don't show the typical signs. That means it can be passed on via understocks without the grower knowing. I have brought in a lot of buds over the past 10 years and culled any young plants that show signs. I had 2 inquiries for 'Scarlet Queen Elizabeth' waiting last season plants to mature. Some of this batch showed MV so I presumed the clone was infected, I destroyed them all. Didn't sell any, even the ones that didn't show signs for I know when hard times (Drought) arrive they would show infection.

The Hybridisers usually only want them for seed or pollen so it is not a big problem for them. Once used they would probably have no further use.
Ozros, I'm pleased you want Virus free plants but must mention I have never had a request for a virus free rose. Your post has made me so pleased to have done all that work over 10 years to eradicate this problem.

Maybe there is a moral issue here for the sellers not to pass on roses with virus, instead of pushing for the buck...

Since we are trying to keep Rosetalk alive and interesting must mention what can happen when a customer reports RMV to some nurseries.

I Emailed a nursery where I bought a large China from 2 years previously to report the rose had shown signs of Virus. After sending another Email the nursery owner mentioned this was no doubt due to the buds brought in from outside. No! not even any suggestion of replacing the plant. End of story, sounded to me like "Don't bother me with trifles like RMV because you are the only person that has complained".

I presume you no longer deal with this nursery Bruce.
What ever happened to the customer is always right and keep the customer happy and they will remain a customer.

Carole, they are allowed three mistakes. First was incorrect labelled plant ( Not rectified) and second was RMV as mentioned above (Also not rectified). I'm really on the nurseries side for I know how difficult the general public can be. I'm just looking for a fair go and some good old fashioned service. One hesitates to make this remark to the nursery for the reply might go like this, "What do you expect, you only paid for the plant, service would be extra".

Really, most nurseries are a good lot of dedicated enthusiastic people trying to stay in business. We are lucky to have such a large variety of roses available.

Some or all my weepers have rose mosaic virus. My Mary rose standards have gone down hill pretty bad and I wonder if it is because they have this virus. Will look next Spring. Maybe I should be feeding them so they look like the one I saw on the front of a Your Garden magazine years ago, which I fell in love with. It was in a Tasmanian garden.