We all, I mean you and me want a deal.

There are many reputable growers to purchase hosta from (I need a graphic here) why would anyone go to a Big Box. Actually I avoid the big boxes unless I can't find what I want from a small businessman and then I try to decide if I really have to have what I want.

Wal-Mart was selling Pampas Grass in Z5 to unsuspecting customers as well as many other plants that wonÂt live here. I think big boxes are simply parasites on society.

That is my opinion but like apple cores most everyone has one!

Thats not good... I too bought from them this summer. I just couldn't pass up Abiqua Drinking Gourd and Revolution for $6.99.

I'll have to keep an eye on them.

And how do you know the plant has nematodes?
Linda C

Love the graphic Janice.
That's how I feel right now.
Just found nematodes on one of my plants in my garden at the campsite.
I was hoping that I had gotten all of them last fall. Here I go again.
So far just one plant shows signs of them....It won't get the heat treatment. It will get tossed in the fire.
Darn!

Lindac--the first one I got from them, 3 summers ago, I confirmed with the 20X magnifying glass, with the leaf in the water, in a clear bottom dish, over a light bulb! No doubt about it--once you see one, you know--they squiggle madly like mosquitoe larvae but look more like short cat hairs!!!

Then I was a real "innocent" about them, now I can spot them without the glass--not that my eyesight is that good, but the very TYPICAL yellow to brown stripes, confined to between the veins, skipping some veins and showing up in others--no doubt!!!

E.O. I have purchased from a very reputable nursery, here locally for years and stil got *one* with nematodes last year! I just loved that one, too! It was 'Just So' and I hated like the dickens returning it!!! I've not been able to replace it either, but having gotten 'Rainforest Sunrise' as a very similar one has made me almost as happy!

The good thing about this one, a lovely 'Spilt Milk' is that it was still in a pot, in a barrel with some 'Coleus'! When they are spent, at the end of the season, I will pour boiling water in the barrel, and the way I do things is to way *over-kill* so hopefully if they are in the soil, they'll be toast or steamed--whichever!!!

P.S. Thanks Sassy!!! It's nice to be understood!! :o)

Janice, is that a bug or something else.
Flip

Lykaon, I thought of you right away, when I made my *discovery*!

I didn't go there, to get *hosta*! I went for 'Inpatiens' but when I saw a beautiful misslabeled 'Spilt Milk'
(labeled 'Paul's Glory') I eventually "took the bait"! Sigh!

Phil, old buddy--where have YOU been? To answer your question, the nematode is a "demon" of the hosta.
There are so many millions of different nematodes, and many are very beneficial to the garden, but this one,
a 'foliar' type is devastating to hosta and fern and probably many others I'm not aware of, yet!

Here's a link to a good article on the subject, and the pics. look just like my 'Spilt Milk' leaves, right now:

Here is a link that might be useful: What are 'nematodes'?

Hmmmmmm? You might find this informative, or at least an interesting read!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Stop those Demons!

Oh no--I also purchased 'Impatiens' from MEIJERS that look just like those in this example of those with 'nematodes'!

Be sure to click on the photo to the farthest right side! I purchased a whole flat that looked like that one, and most of them
didn't survive but some did and are planted near hosta!!!!They were all gnarly, above the planting medium but I just thought
that they were having a rough start!!!

Now I'M REALLY GETTING ANGRY!!!

How unconscionable!! How CAN a grower do this and sleep at night??? Unbelievable what we'll do for the 'almighty dollar'!!!

NOW--WHAT????

Here is a link that might be useful: Impatients also have them!

Of course you will be contacting Meijer's AND the Ohio Dept of Agriculture?

You better believe it, Maryann!!!!!

Hosta...ferns...brunnera...tricyrtis...anemone...hepatica....I could go on and on and on and on....

I think it's a far worse problem than HVX. At least w/ HVX if you practice good sanitation, you may only lose a plant or two. W/ nematodes, you never know if you caught it or not, how far it has spread and WHEN (not IF) it will show up again.

Gawdawful nightmare.

Don't contact Meijer's contact your own thinking.
Why do you shop in "Big Boxes"? To get deals and you get what you pay for.
We want them to take care of us, take care of yourself.
I know some will moralize about what "Big Boxes" should do, I can tell you what they will do and I know from personal experience selling to them and buying from them.

My problem is the nurseries around here really don't sell hostas, usually they have the same ole same ole....
Tangled Roots is the only nursery that sort of kind of specializes in them, but you are going to pay for that as well.
So if I find Guacamole at Home Depot for 5.97 and nobody looks diseased it is coming home with me, this is the only way I can get some different varieties as I don't have the luxery of being able to shop on the web. I have done a lot of trading as well, but there is definitly no guarantee if it is going to be what they say it is and that it isn't a sick hosta.
Lowe's has not had a shipment in this year that don't look just awful, nothing looking nice and healthy, Wal-Marts looked a lot better, just mis-id (Patriot isn't gold is it?lol!)

I'm cured too Janice. I've noticed the prices at the box stoes coming up, up, up or the local nursery coming down, down, down-- anyway they are meeting in the middle, except for annuals. Annuals are still a bargain at box stores and why I go there. Have bought a few perennials that have caught my eye this year too-- iris and coneflower.

Anyway, regarding the nematodes, I have plants I bought from repatable sources with nematodes. Although I must admit most of the nasty buggers entered my garden through trades. If this is your first - throw it out, would be my only advice. I have had good success with a chemical, but last time I brought that up, the resident know-it-all, religiously organic people had a crusade moment, so I won't even go there.

M-A

M-A,
Please email me with the name of that chemical that you had good success with.
I'm ready to use chemical warfare!
email me at: nursecarol@mechling.net
Thanks,
-sassy-

I just ordered 2.5 gals of Zerotol.
THE CHEMICAL WARFARE WILL SOON BEGIN!
Got to buy a good mask and thick gloves first.
Heyj, 'Janice' thanks for posting that link from
the Ohio State University about Zerotol.
Now I have to get some insecticidal soap.

Hi Sassy,

Going to post here, despite the backlash. And just for the record, I'm not really happy about resorting to chemicals. My yard has been and will always be largely non-toxic-- no weed killers, organic fertilizers, homemade compost, etc. But when it comes to the nematodes, I am willling to make exceptions in controlled levels.

I have used a 2% Di-syston product with success. The retail product is "Systemic Granules" by Bonide. The link to label is below.

The year before last I noticed nems on a couple of newly acquired plants and a couple of others that had been here for decades. I think they came in on a GW trade, newly purchased hosta, and probably veronica.

I treated the affected plants, once late that summer, and also removed the infected leaves, keeping notes of which plants were infected. I treated the same plants the following spring before the nems re-appeared. About half of the infected plants did not show any signs last summer. The couple that remained infected and some newly infected which were adjacent to the original plants were treated two more times last summer and a preventative treatment this spring. So far, this year, I have only one showing signs of nems (it is still early and I will report back later).

I will treat that plant with both the granules and an insecticidal soap.

There are some serious warning on the granules and it has a strong odor, so when I applied it, I did it on a day without wind and used a mask and gloves. I dug a small trench around each crown and sprinkled in the granules (about a tesapoon on the smaller hosta and more on the larger). I then back filled the trench. I didn't want the chemical on the surface to minimize its spread.

Hope this helps.
M-A

Here is a link that might be useful: Bonide Systemic Granules

M-A, do keep us updated, won't you, for sure? Since this is becoming something most of us are dealing with
on *some* level, and it will be most helpful to know how to handle the treatment for the nems safely! It sounds
like you will be making every effort to do so, in your garden! I do hope you gain the *victory* over them!

Nothing's perfect in 'our' gardens anymore--right? Even the 'original' Garden, had it's lurking evil!

M-A, yes, do keep us updated. That goes for everyone that are fighting these evil little white worms.

Here's my update....Last fall I notiiced nematodes on a couple of my Gold Edgers that were planted at my campsite.
Since I had 7 Gold Edgers, I dug all of them up. I tossed the 2 that showed signs. The 5 remaining plants I put in a plastic bag and put them in my car to take home and treat.
Well, I forgot about them for over 2 weeks. After remembering them I figured that being in a black car kept outside in Aug for that long would be the the same as a heat tx so I just replanted them. Late last fall it looked like only 4 of them were going to survive, but this spring all 5 came up. So far all 5 are thriving with no signs of nems.

Also, last fall in my garden at home I found nems on 5-6 plants. I did the heat tx and SO FAR they are OK. BTW, while doing the heat tx the plants just divided themselves so I ended up with quite a few plants to replant. I now have a large hosta hospital.

A couple days ago I found nems on 4 of my Lancifolias that I have at the campsite. I pitched them.

After reading the article that Janice posted the link to from an entomologist, I ordered what that article recommended, Zerotol. The smallest jug that I could order was 2.5 gal. I spoke to the manufacter and was told to use it at a rate of 1:300.
1/2 oz per 1 gal water every 5-7 days...if no results I can bump it up to 1 oz to 1 gal water, but not to exceed 1 1/4 oz. It's expensive but what the heck, they're my hostas.

My plan is this...I don't think I'll ever do the heat tx again. (Too much work & mess) Any new plant with nems will be pitched. I will treat all my hostas with the Zerotol. I also plan to spray them with insecticidal soap.

I guess there's no 100% cure except the heat tx, but at least I hope to control them the best way I can.

BTW, about my heat treatments...my hotwater tank just happened to be set at 130 degrees so that saved me some time/work. I kept them in the water bath for AT LEAST 15 min, much longer than recommended (I figured I had nothing to lose). I was surpised to see that nearly ALL of them came up this spring! Hosta really are tuff. I just hope that they are nem free. So far no nems, but it's only July.

As for the chemicals....Well, I will be careful.