HVX? & storm damage are ruining my hostas
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
today I saw this sick looking hosta in my front yard..posted 2 pics..these 2 hostas are planted next to each other..no ID but aren't they the same?..they are several years old..read a lot of posts about HVX..never had it until today..is it HVX?..will check my entire yard tomorrow..we had a severe storm a few days ago..could it cause the "white lines" which seem like cracks..some leaves had holes..
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7 years agonicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis thanked josephines167 z5 ON Canadanicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Frost damage or HVX?
Comments (12)Buying from known trusted sites is a good precaution for remaining HVX free, but there is no 100% guarantee in life or in hosta purchases. If a hosta is infected there is no danger of other hostas getting the virus except when leaves, roots or stems are cut. I would suggest that if tools used are scrubbed with Dawn detergent, alcohol or bleach as the AHS describes there is no chance of spreading the virus. To me this means scrubbing any shovel used in division with Dawn, bleach or alcohol and washing your hands (I would prefer Dawn) after any division. Pruning any hosta presents another problem as the disease could be spread to all the pruned plants after any cutting on a diseased plant. I would suggest a 2 bucket procedure that should work. After cutting any hosta with a pre-sterilized scissor or other tool dip it into a bucket of warm water with Dawn detergent and cleaning thoroughly the tool and your hands in the solution. Rinse in another bucket or a hose. Doing this will ensure that any virus that may exist is contained to the infected plant. When and if any plant shows signs of virus it then becomes a matter of killing off the hostas with Roundup or vinegar and isolating the site for some time. 2 or 3 years? As I understand the research the virus requires living hosta tissue to survive. Killing the plant seems to be the quickest (and only) way to kill the virus. In my opinion it seems digging up the infected hosta, even after killing it, seems to be a bad idea as leaving the roots and plant intact gives the virus no way to spread to other plants. Surely there is a better chance of picking up the virus from a "box" store than a known trusted source. The problem is that any "guarantee" of being virus free would be limited to the cost of the infected plant(s), at best, and potentially the disease could be spread throughout a large portion of a collection if not contained. I think simply using a simple decontamination technique is the surest way to prevent wiping out a good number of specimens. I think that no matter what the source simply disinfecting tools is only common sense, especially for those who have so much invested into their collections...See MoreWide Brim forst damage or HVX
Comments (3)I have one that looks much like you described... I believe it is frost damage. We've had some late frosts after very warm temperatures here (and possibly a frost tonight!) so I think this variety is more frost susceptible than most. Indyrose...See MoreHVX on a Blue Hosta??
Comments (10)Here is your picture: That looks like frost damage, not HVX. And athough HVX can create some translucent patches on some varieties of hostas, this isn't what it looks like. Frost can sometimes settle onto a wet leaf and create this type of damage pattern. My guess is that this is on only the oldest leaf, possibly caused when it wasn't even unfurled yet, which is why it is only on the part of the leaf that was exposed while the rest might have been curled up still. Hope that helps. Chris...See MoreWould you buy the hosta next to the one with HVX?
Comments (9)I have bought one from a questionable retailer - guess I am the only one. I would not buy the same kind of hosta but if they have had another type I really wanted at a great price I admit I would do it. So far I brought one home that I later examined and realized had HVX and returned it - that was my first experience with HVX. Became more educated and see it often enough - sadly. Was at a friend's house the other day and saw a questionable one in her garden I felt I had to point out. Just told her to keep an eye on it - no ink bleed but tissue collapse. After one of the garden web members posted a pic of a hosta with the ink bleed and said she tested it twice and it came up clean, I just don't know what to think....See Morejosephines167 z5 ON Canada
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