You may see my posting over at the Hosta forum trying to diagnose a possible HVX hosta. While the jury is out on that particular plant (two of three experts say negative; the third says wait-and-see), I can tell you that it was bought as a six-pack from Home Depot.

Rule-of-thumb: never, ever, buy a hosta from the big box stores (HD or Lowe's). All the experts say that the problem is that their sources for Hostas use machine cultivators that cut the leaves and hence spread the HVX from plant-to-plant. And don't buy from ebay where the seller wants to cut the leaves before shipping them to you (HVX and/or nematodes).

On the other hand, local stores like Russell's and Mahoney's, and online seller NH Hostas, appear to have good stock that I have not seen a problem. (Crossing my fingers.)

Has anyone else had good/bad experiences with Mahoney's and/or Russell's Hostas?

The owner at NH Hostas told me that his stock is generally nursery propagated vegetatively, and then grown in pots, which is supposedly the method least likely to have HVX problems. His plants are beautiful, but my (limited) experience is that large/jumbo sizes usually only have 1-2 eyes.

Sorry to all about my typo in the title of this thread. It should of course be HOSTA, not Host.

And thanks for the reply, extragalactic. The one I'm worried about came from a hosta specialist by mail from another part of the country. Just wondering what people are experiencing here.

I don't think I've got it, at least not yet; but I think it's endemic, and not just in big box store stock. So, I just don't plan to add to my little collection.

Every time I see a pale area on one of the leaves of one my favorites, I think it's got to be HVX. It's not worth it to add any new hostas, at least not until there's some kind of nation-wide certification and/or inspection system in place.

I wouldn't blame HD or Lowes for being creators of this epidemy, but certainly they are major distribution channel for it. Creators-multiplicators of this plaque are mayor mass growers!
I bought many different hostas during the last five years and as a preventative measure I a)before planting any single one in a garden I treat it against nematodes and b)completely stopped to use scissors-pruners on hostas. Hand cutting-pruning only.

And I agree with Nan.
"It's not worth it to add any new hostas, at least not until there's some kind of nation-wide certification and/or inspection system in place."
Unless you MUST have IT :-))

So as yet no one is sure they have it but the decision is to avoid buying any new hostas until safeguards are in place. A draconian decision. I am going to have to give this a lot of thought.

But having lost so much of my landscape to deer, I am not willing to risk another natural catastrophe.

To be less draconian, you could isolate any newly purchased hostas a long way from your existing plantings. The trouble is that it may take a long time for the virus to show its face, as I understand it. And of course space might be an issue...

LOL I saw the title and figured this was a thread about a computer virus infecting the NE garden forum.

I have no experience with hostas, but hope your plants will be safe.

Deep down inside I knew there had to be a glitch of some sort with my new passion for Hosta. Over the weekend I went to Blanchettes (sp?) for the first time where Leo sells a sea of Hosta. After reading this thread I am concerned about planting my new babies. George how do you treat for nematodes?

Groan. Sorry again for the typo in such a prominent position.

I have a lot of hostas and have never had a nematode--not even sure what that is. I've also never had HVX, except I'm wondering about one fairly new plant.

From the replies here, I'm not gathering that it's a huge problem yet here---not to say it doesn't have the potential.

Blanchette does sell a lot of hostas. What is his guarantee re his stock?

I've never had HVX either. I have purchased from various sources, mostly Mason Hollow in Mason NH -- a great hosta specialty place.

So, kt, which ones did you get?

On Sunday evening I noticed one of my hostas in a tucked away area looked terrible. DTD, I saw the link you had in another thread and I think it is probably HVX based on those pictures. I have had that hosta in for a number of years and have never noticed anything like this, so it does appear that it popped up in an older plant. I still need to learn more about this virus. I think I am going to throw out this particular hosta and not take any chances.

Wendyb, I just today received a card from Mason Hollow that they are having their open house on June 20/21 in case you didn't receive it.

I got my MH card too. Maybe subconsciously that made me think of them first as my biggest resource :-) Do you go there often? Sue is really friendly.

Kt, I wish to treat virus-X would be as easy as nematodes: boil the water, let it cool down to 75-80C and pour it on the hosta while it's still in a pot. Repeat next day (just in case). Do it in an evening. Nematodes will be cooked, but hosta is not.