WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE YOU TOUCH ANY MORE HOSTA!

HVX is transmittable via the sap of the hosta and by ripping one then ripping another, you can transmit the virus. Also, disinfect the knife/shears you used.

Golden Tiara definitely looks sick to me.

A closer up pic of the other one would be good.

What have you to gain by keeping either - one you can see and one may be visible now, and likely will show later - return them all and be happy -- then order/buy from growers who care and know hosta and hvx. Box Store hosta will continue to haunt you as you wait to see which one will be the next to show next year and the years ahead.

And what Melissa said about sterilizing tools and do a search on HVX in this forum to learn good handling procedures of hosta and tools

Paul

Here is a link that might be useful: HVX Search

Cant the HVX hostas come from anywhere, not just box stores. Dont box stores get their plants from growers/nurseries? I'm just wondering if small nurseries that dont have green houses get their plants from same place as box stores. How can you tell who is legit?

Slightly off topic, but how do you put a photo in a post, please? I have them in My Pictures, but can't seem to get them in my post. Thank you.

I've been in several big box "HD" stores and not seen any HVX. Another big box store that I won't name (don't want to be sued) had MANY hvx plants which were especially noticable at the end of the season.
We also have a large and expensive specialty nursury that sells many hostas and some were definitely HVX. One was Magic FIre. It had a European tag with the breeders name and blurb about the high quality etc.

Dear Esther,

Thank you for the new pictures and for taking the time to learn about HVX. I get so worried that people just starting get stuck with HVX infected plants from different nurseries that just don't know about it (or care about it). HVX spreads far too easily in the garden to dismiss it, and many hostas can carry HVX for years without showing symptoms. In the case of your Diamond Tiara the symptoms are really hard to see sometimes.

Diamond Tiara won't really show the classic ink bleed. Instead the colors just aren't as vibrant and it gets a dull coloring and lighter patches instead of a nice solid green. The bleeding that occurs isn't always on the veins with this one either. In your case there is bleeding of the colors in the upper right near the tip, on the far right just before the margin and there is some leaf distortion in a couple places.

By the way, a lot of people will tell you to bleach tools, but bleach isn't strong enough to kill HVX. Instead use something like Lysol that is specifically labeled to kill viruses (bleach kills bacteria well, but not viruses). Lysol will kill most tough viruses after a 10 minute soak, though dirt needs to be rinsed off tools first. HVX can survive for weeks on tools and can survive months if not years in the soil where a virused hosta was once planted.

As for how to know where to buy, if you are in person check their stock thoroughly. If you see one HVX infected plant you can bet there are many more that just aren't showing. Also ask the workers/owners about what precautions they take to keep HVX out of their stock. Some won't even know what you are talking about. Same with mail order - ask them what precautions they take. And just "watching for it" isn't good enough. Nurseries need to know and trust their suppliers, need to do active testing of their own, need to clean and disinfect regularly, and THEN they need to watch everything.

I hope that helps some more.

Chris

Thanks Chris for the crash course on HVX. I have been using a bleach solution but will switch to lysol. What is the ratio of water to lysol? I second Chris's point that just asking can tell you a lot. I recently asked a dealer who only sells hostas at a local farmer's market what she did to prevent the spread of HVX and she had no idea what I was talking about. I was shocked.

Test strips are available. Go to the hosta library and click on the Hosta Virus Test strips link.

-Babka

Here is a link that might be useful: Hosta Library

Hi, Chris et al.

In order to take this "picture", I just tore off a leaf from each of the plants by hand, using no tools, and placed the leaves on my scanner. None of my garden tools has been used on the hostas since last year, so hopefully any HVX is dead.

I am, to say the least, extremely disappointed that my patient year-long wait was for nothing, that I will not be able to enjoy 2 of my hostas this year. The only one that's up so far (and may be the only one I can enjoy because of the HVX and necessary removal of my 2 newest hosta-babies) is the undulata (a gift from a colleague from his own yard) and the Wide Brim. I did not take any leaves from the Wide Brim because there really doesn't seem to be any bleeding appearance or anything. If I see anything suspicious, I will take a leaf and put it on the scanner as well.

There is a very expensive, high-quality nursery about 20 minutes away. They want about 3 times the money for their hostas than HD. And from what you've posted here, that's no guarantee that I can get clean hostas from them.

In summation, I should dig up the Diamond Tiara and Golden Tiara and toss them in the garbage, and not plant anything in their place this year. Do I have to disinfect the very hole they were in? And will spraying my trowel used to dig them up with Lysol be sufficient to disinfect it? And how can I get some clean hostas to enjoy? Or must I plant no new hostas this year under the little plum tree in the yard?

Again, thanks crew. You are the BEST!!

Yes, "reputable" nurseries also have the problem too.
A local nursery with several locations stopped carrying "Sum of All" because of so many returns. They have stopped dealing with that grower and even though I was past their return period, they were still happy to refund my money when I returned 2 plants (purchased 2 different years). I have still purchased from this nursery, but I am much more weary of my purchases now.

The problem is often in tissue culture. If an infected plant is TC'd, then guess what, all the babies are gonna have the virus too. And yes, it's true that Europe has sent a lot of the virus this way. It's my understanding that their standards are not as strict as US standards.

TC is not the ONLY way of transmitting, as we've discussed. Thank you to Chris for giving us the most up-to-date info on sterilization. I hope to be hearing more from Dr Lockhart at the national convention in June.

Be aware that there are some varieties particularly prone to the virus: Sum & Substance, Gold Standard and Striptease, for instance. But as you can see here, they are not the only culprits. The VERY VERY sad thing is that if you peruse the Hostapedia, there are MANY hosta that are REGISTERED with AHS that are thought to be "unique" when in reality, they are INFECTED. Sad.

Please take some time to familiarize yourself with what HVX can look like. The link below is to the info in the hosta library on the subject.

And Esther, if you want absolute confirmation of infection, you can buy test strips.

Here is a link that might be useful: HVX at the Hosta Library.

Hi,

I use a foaming lysol spray, wipe down tools really well with paper towels, then spray again and let them sit for 10 minutes or longer. I'm using Lysol I.C. Foaming Spray plus IC concentrate and you can buy it at janitorial and hospital supply places, sometimes even office supply places. For larger tools, like shovels and forks I am using a concentrate that mixes 1/2 oz per gallon. Just follow the directions given on the bottle.

Another great product is quat/alcohol wipes like Sanicart wipes. These can be used easily on tools to both clean and disinfect.

I'm just going by what hospitals use to disinfect, and know that they have never used bleach so I've never recommended it either. Years ago I thought ammonia would work, which it likely did since I cleaned tools so thoroughly, plus used spray bottles of rubbing alcohol on them, but it is the quaternary ammonia that you want to actually make a virus inactive. Hopefully Dr. Lockhart's latest research will confirm this since HVX isn't specifically listed on the Lysol bottles. Unfortunately HVX is highly stable outside the cell which is why it can be so contagious.

A dip in bleach is highly unlikely to do the trick.

There is lots of information out there with a quick google search, but sadly lots of misinformation too. Keep asking and learning, then share as much as you can.

Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: Lysol I.C. Quat Disinfectant

Esther,
I must've been composing my previous response while you were typing.
Last year, the hole from which I took an infected Sum of All was in too prominent a place for me not to plant something. You can choose to plant something other than hosta in the hole, or you can take a tiny risk by planting a hosta in a pot. Yes, put pot and all into the ground. But, when back filling around the pot, be careful to keep neighboring soil from the pot, or backfill with clean soil or potting mix.

You have to be willing to take calculated risks with purchasing/trading plants, or be willing to pay the price for ones that are free of the virus. Other people choose to have a "holding area" for plants they have doubt about. Or even go so far as to test everything that comes into your garden.

I too was nervous a few years ago. When I saw my first infected plant, I nearly crapped bricks, thinking my new(ish) hosta collection was doomed. Instead, I took precautions.... Dug a BIG hole around the hosta to ensure I severed no roots and leaked no sap.

It happens.... probably to nearly everyone on the forum, if the truth were to be told....

I can tell you're sad about the loss. We all were... and still are.... when it happens. When you have to return/destroy a beautiful plant because of no fault of your own. (Incidentally.... I'd try and get your money back, or at least a store credit from HD.) Yes, you've lost a year of maturity on these plants. What you have gained, however, as Paul alluded to, is the knowledge of how to handle the situation when it presents itself. And you've hopefully learned it early in your collecting/gardening experience.

You're correct.... there are NO guarantees, unless you're buying from a nursery that tests their stock. Hallson's Nursery is a good mail-order choice. Chris is not allowed to tell you this, but I am.... he is a founder of Hallson's and they take strong precautions to sell only healthy plants.

Thanks, Melissa & Chris. You answered one of my questions, but about the others...

Why can't you pass the blade of your trowel through fire to disinfect it? I guess the handle must also be disinfected, to make sure.

Must I give up on planting any new hostas this year? When can I use the to-be-vacated hole where the 2 infected Tiaras are planted? Do reputable nurseries really truly allow you to return HVX infected hostas the FOLLOWING year? Wouldn't they claim it was clean when you bought it and it caught it from your other hostas? Boy, you can bet ol' HD would laugh themselves silly if I showed up with the dug-up Tiaras and wanted my money back.

Well, all I have experience with is the one I have here in the Twin Cities. They took it back because they had record of this bad batch of Sum of All. They also knew that I shop there a lot and it was a prudent decision to take it back.

And ya know, I'd be willing to bet that IF you were to take the infected plant to the service desk, with a printout of what HVX looks like and ask the nursery manager on call to come up to the service desk, you ought to be willing to drop the name of Ag Department and suggest that if they're not willing to take back the plant, perhaps the ag department might want to know about it. Since you asked for an ID, you probably do not have the original tag or receipt, I assume. Those would kinda seal your deal... but hey, it's worth a try! You should probably get into the habit of keeping all tags and receipts. I have a box of tags and a file of receipts.... going back since we bought this house in 2006. Please note, plastic nursery tags become brittle and break in the sun and winters. If you want to label them, choose a more permanent solution.

As for "reputable".... I have chosen to do most of my perennial shopping at a nursery that offers a 2-year guarantee on perennials.

The widely accepted practice is to leave the hole vacated of hosta for the year. This is what I will be doing. The hole that I have the potted hosta planted in, will have its permanent occupant planted in it this spring. I assumption is that this practice is meant to make sure than none of the remaining roots will indeed sprout a hosta, therefore again giving a host to the virus. But if the roots die, then the virus goes with it? I'm just guessing here. Perhaps Chris can validate my assumption.

You do not need to GIVE UP on the notion of replanting a hosta. You just need to accept the potential risk. Replanting the hole may or may not transmit the disease. Think of HIV in humans. Having intercourse doesn't guarantee transmission, but it does put one at risk. Just decide how much you a)NEED a hosta in that spot and b)how in love with that hosta are you (such that if it were to show signs of infection, would you be as heartbroken.
Calculated risk. Gambling.... all the same
You could always plant a heuchera.

I don't know the answer to the fire question.

There is a very expensive, high-quality nursery about 20 minutes away. They want about 3 times the money for their hostas than HD.

===>>>> of my 1500 hosta.. i got about 800 of them through the mail ... from HOSTA peeps ...

that is one way to certify a clean plant.. on some level ..

one such GOOD provider is hallsons .. the guy who runs it is VERY knowledgeable about this stuff ... known him to throw out a delivery of 100 wholesale plants for one with a problem ... he's a nice guy too.. rotflmbo ...

anyway.. how it happens .... picture a row of GT a mile long ... and picture the wholesaler going down the line tilling them up like potatoes ... and then taking them back to a warehouse .. where they are all dumped into the same water for cleaning.. and then they use one knife to cut 10 million plants for resale ...

and low and behold .. all 10 million of them have the potential for one single problem ...

and then those 10 million are packaged for bigboxstores ...

perhaps.. just maybe ... i exaggerate.. but now you can form a mind picture of how it happens ...

JUST GET RID OF THOSE PLANTS NOW ....

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

OK, I could not find the Lysol I.C. spray or any quat ammonia spray among hospital or janitorial supply stores around here. But I just scored 2 cans of Lysol I.C. foaming spray on eBay for 6 bucks, including shipping. Now just have to wait for it to arrive.

Since these 2 affected hostas were just planted last year, I would not think they have such huge developed root systems yet. If I am able to dig out all visible roots and then some, would THAT clear me for planting a new hosta in safety?

I will keep an eye on my Wide Brim, now that I know it's one of the more susceptible ones and now that I also know what to look for. And what about the undulatus albamarginata, the little curly ones? Did those look OK to you guys?

Color me PARANOID now! Oy, my poor little hostababies!

What is a true distint feature of HVX? I was at HD today looking at all the new hostas and all the hostas look like bleeding ink. I guess if you do not know what the original leaf looks like it is hard to tell. I was on hosta library and some of the ripples in the hostas look like the hostas that leaves are actually like that. I've been looking at pictures and the only HVX I can see are on the hostas that have smooth leaves and now have riggly leaves. Can someone help me?

Here are enough images to make you feel sick for a week.

Here is a link that might be useful: Google images: hvx