HVX or other problem?

16 years ago

I'm feeling overwhelmed! I stated in another post that I bought a couple dozen hostas last month for our shady backyard. I had one planted underneath a bird feeder and about three weeks into it this hosta started to look sad. I asked around and found that sunflower seed shells could pose a danger to some plants so I moved the plant.

Now I read up on HVX (mostly at Hallson Gardens) and happened upon a picture of a Golden Tiara with HVX and it looks a little familiar. It's dark outside now so I can't go investigate but I'm very worried that maybe my Tiara's problem was not the shells at all but that it's infected.

Could the virus show up on what appeared to be a very healthy plant in just three short weeks?

Thanks for any input!

Kristy :\

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Comments (6)

rubybaby43
Original Author
16 years ago
I'm going to reply to my own post! I just had to go out there and get a look and they do not look like they have the virus.

I do have three Golden Tiaras out of four, though, that have something going on around the edges of the leaves....they are a little crunchy as if they got burned yet these babies get no direct light at all and I have not fertilized them yet. All but the original one I posted about are sending up new shoots so that leaves me hopeful....but still wary!

Again - thanks for any input and sorry if I talk too much!
Kristy :)
mary52zn8tx
16 years ago
I think we all go through the panic stage when we finally get around to educating ourselves about HVX. I always make myself sleep on it when I think a plant is looking funky. That saved a Sum and Substance that is just fine this year. I have three hundred plants, and so far I have only had one plant with the virus. It unfurled just fine and a few weeks later, all these spots showed up. At first glance, I thought I had spilled something on it, but the more I looked at it the more I knew it wasn't right. A day or two later the ink bleed started. It was a Lady Guineverre, and someone had the exact hosta from the same place over at Hallson's. I have my hostas in containers so it is easy to quarantine any that I am wondering about. You are on the right track by keeping a close eye on things. Just try to buy from reputable places and keep your tools and hands disinfected. Those of us that are new to hostas have to do the best we can.
Happy gardening,
Mary
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Jon-When I lived in Arkansas I knew a lot of people who regularly rode horses. But I only knew ONE who always rode a mule; never a horse. The mules name was Willie. I commented one day since mules have a reputation of being "difficult" in a way few horses are, it surprises me that he rode Willie all the time. His reply made perfect sense to me. He said "Awe, Willies OK. You just have to smack a mule as hard as you can, right between its eyes with a 4 x 4, to get its attention first." It made sense because I never tried to ride a mule. The topic was not about killing a hosta to prevent HVX, or any other virus for that matter, from spreading. It was about what commericial growers, retailers, hybridizers, TCers, etc. actually do with their waste. Since we ALL CONCEDED it can be spread from hosta roots left in growing medium, it posed the question: Is it wise for them to recycle their hosta potting materials and waste by composting? I'd already conceded that I only presumed this is what they do with it, based on the piles I had seen, and was open to enlightenment. At the outset I had invited any growers, etc. to take part in this discussion. It illicited Chris and Rob to participate. Now they are not. I am afraid the string has been severed, repeatedly, and can't be recovered. I give up-Jon. Its your field now. Go ahead and run with it with my blessings! I have one statement to make to you JON, and will not respond if you have a comeback. During much of MY lifetime, engineers based much work on the hypothesis that the electron, proton, and neutron were the most fundimental elements of matter. This hypothesis was dealt with as if it were fact and the basis for much progress, while it was commonly accepted it was a very consistent hypothesis. Now we KNOW (at least I do), of course, that it was not fact. We learned this as scientific researchers developed greater technology that disproved the hypothesis. Their work is applauded, and their success was achieved because they DID NOT ACCEPT IT AS FACT and looked for better answers for unsolved questions. SO MUCH FOR ENGINEERS ONLY DEALING WITH FACT, NOT HYPOTHISIS(as your opinion clearly stated). This experience has created no hard feelings towards you on my part. I am frustrated because the question has not been answered. Back to Hosta Forum! Les
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
how much water are you giving them???

brown crispy edges usually mean too little water ....

cant go much further without a picture.. ken
rubybaby43
Original Author
16 years ago
First things first....I fully intended to share pics but it was too dark last night to get anything that would be helpful.
This is the one that I had to move. {{gwi:1045763}}

And this is one that has new shoots but a few leaves are looking like this...{{gwi:1045764}}

I have been out watering them everyday since they've been planted. We have not been getting much in the way of rain at all. These are all planted underneath oaks (one being over 100 years). None are right up against a tree but I know how much water and nutrients the trees sap from the ground before the plants get their share....so it could very well be that I am still not watering enough.

Thank you for the input....I really appreciate it. And it's good to know that we all go through a panic stage in the beginning (and at other times, I suspect?).
Kristy :)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
not hvx ...

frankly ... nothing to worry about if water is getting to the roots.... i dont even give new plants a second look the first year .... they are stressed from whatever ... and they are hosta.. they will be fine...

oaks are some of the best trees to have hosta under ... dont worry about them either ....

you should be getting a new flush pretty soon ... after the flush .. take off the worst one or two ... and the flush will hide the rest ...

ken
rubybaby43
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you, Ken. I'm feeling relieved!
Kristy :)

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