Ticker, you have given good advise but it sounds extreme and does not fit my logic or how I garden.

As I said I have 3+ acres. The back of the house has a large shade garden. I have separate shovels clippers and deer, rabbit, squirrel away, garden equipment and gloves etc. I use hospital plastic gloves so I keep a box in all my garden areas. The same for the side gardens. I do not divide, clip the flowers, etc. I chose a site and that is where I want them to be for at least 8 years. There is nothing prettier than a mature untouched hosta in my eyes.

In this garden I purchased what appeared to be healthy hostas it is a bed that does not have to be hostas. It a small driveway bed that at the most would ever fit would be 4 hostas.

I was just saying that as gardeners we should step out of the fear box. Especially if you have the space and if you are not addicted. I have seen some change a garden and give their hostas away because they want another look.

FYI what I have read

"There is no evidence that HVX survives in soil, so you can replant the area with clean hostas after you a sure that all of the infected plant's roots have decomposed. The virus is limited to hostas and is not known infect other species of plants. Although all hostas should be considered susceptible, several are reported to be resistant to HVX, including 'Blue Angel,' 'Color Glory,' 'Frances Williams,' 'Bressingham Blue,' 'Frosted Jade,' and 'Love Pat.'

There are excellent photographs of HVX symptoms on a number of websites, including Michigan State University."

According to Chris from Hallson Gardens, an acknowledged HVX expert, they didn't used to think HVX survived in the soil, but more recent testing indicates that it does. Best never to plant hostas in that location again. And the information of HVX resistant plants is also out of date.

I read a lot about HVX from Chris. That was where I found out about the virus. Did he say never, ever plant a hosta in that area again? I do not remember the never part.

I have heard about removing a hosta that has HVX. But I have never heard of removing the soil.

AHS, I found an article at the website and it said the soil with root debris and plant material can be infected for over two years. Is is necessary to remove all debris and plant material before reusing the soil.

[quote]
QUESTION: If HVX can be spread by the described
cultivation practices, how long does the virus remain
on tools and in soil?
Infected plant material kept in the refrigerator at 39°F
(4°C) remained infective for more than nine weeks.
Fresh infected plant material was always infective.
Soil with HVX plant debris and root material was
infective for more than two years. It is necessary to
remove all infected live plant debris before
reusing soil. Broken roots and plant parts can infect
new plants.
QUESTION: If HVX remains infective on contaminated
tools or in soil, what practical measures can be used to
eliminate it?
All tested methods of decontamination — household
detergent (Dawn), 70% alcohol and 10% solution of
household bleach — were effective in eliminating
infectivity of the virus. The decontamination process
included intense scrubbing and cleaning of tools,
hands, and pots to remove plant material, soil and sap.
Viral material was visibly dislodged. It is not enough
to simply dip tools in cleaning solution. Tools must
be scrubbed free of all dirt and debris.
QUESTION: Is HVX transmission dose-dependent
(titer-dependent)?
No difference in infectivity or speed of infectivity was
related to the source or dose of the virus isolate. A
significant difference in the rate of infectivity was
dependent on the stage of plant growth. The virus was
most easily transmittedprior to flowering and when
the plant was rapidly growing in spring. We were not
able to transmit the virus while the plants were
flowering in late summer/fall or dormant.[end quote]

link http://americanhostasociety.or...

I wonder what stops the birds, deer, rabbits, groundhog etc. From going house to house and spreading the virus.

I have no slug problem at all because the turkeys and birds are in the gardens every morning taking care of that problem. They peck and step on a leaf and damage at times when they are busy feeding. The deer take a bite out of everything in my garden. I am sure they do not only use my garden as a source of food. Somethings are a little difficult to avoid.

I guess my point is I understand the risk of buying from the big box stores and have never purchased a hosta from them. I have never seen any hosta that I do not have already in those stores. People should be warned because many gardeners do not know about HVX,

The chicken little, the sky is falling panic that has spread that gets to me. I have seen on forums of people panicking when there is a frost bitten leaf and snatch their plants out and destroy. I cannot garden with that mind.

I found out about it after I started my Shade garden. In the first year I planted over 70 Hostas and I was sick to learn of HVX. At the time I thought there was nothing I could do about it and I had worked so hard on this garden. I was on the forums and getting too much information, that was my problem, I was in tears! So, I just had to decide not to worry about it, I have to cross one bridge at a time!
I read three reports that said you should remove a suspected Hosta and throw it away or burn it. Then after all plant material has decomposed you can replant. It is not in the soil just the plant material.

http://hyg.ipm.illinois.edu/ar...
http://www.plantpath.ksu.edu/d...
http://americanhostasociety.or...

You can lead a horse to water...

If you insist on buying the cheapest hostas you can find then please don't share them with people or at least tell them where you bought them.

Here is some information from Josh Spece. Josh is the Web-Editor for the American Hosta Society's web page and runs a hosta nursery near Independence Iowa. Josh is well respected for his knowledge in the hosta field.

http://www.inthecountrygardena...

Here is some more current HVX information from the AHS 2012 Summer Newsletter:

Rob Mortko,
Vice President, Genus Hosta

HVX Research Update

The current AHS sponsored Hosta Virus X (HVX) research project with Dr. Ben Lockhart at the University of Minnesota is now in full swing. Another instance of HVX infection via soil transmission has been confirmed this spring.
Please do not plant another hosta in the same spot where an HVX infected plant has been removed.

A number of perennials (including arisaema, cimicifuga, hakonechloa, heuchera, hemerocallis, polygonatum, trillium and tricyrtis) have been inoculated with HVX and will be tested periodically for the presence of HVX. At issue here is whether HVX is truly hosta specific or not.

Thirteen different HVX isolates have now been identified with each producing different types of symptoms on the same cultivar. This helps explain why HVX does not always appear as the classic “ink blot” pattern starting at a leaf vein as seen in this picture of H. 'Sum and Substance'.

Ticker if you are addressing me..... I have not traded hostas in 15 years.

I do not think anyone has expressed they wanted to buy the cheapest hostas possible. I think you have miss understood what has been discussed.

I explained I have 3+ acres I have the option of having areas planting where the Hostas I have had for 10+ years do not have to come into contact with any new hostas I have purchased. So far I have not purchased any hostas from the Big box stores because they do not sell hostas I do not already have.

The only hostas I have ordered in the last 3 years have been from Halston.

I responded in kind that my gardening comfort is not on the worry end. I could have the perfect plants, purchased from reliable sources and paid the highest price and still get the virus.

As I asked what do you do with the deer, birds, groundhogs, rabbits visiting every garden in the area? I do not think they are going to knock on my door and ask me to wash their mouth before they take a bite off of my Hostas because they ate some HVX hostas down the street. I just cannot garden with the worry about HVX. My garden is for enjoyment.

If you think about the report you just posted. We all should just go buy some plastic plants and stick them in the ground. So we do not have HVX big bad scary disease. It is too much to add to the garden experience.

So I guess you are right you can drag a horse to the water,,,, If I see a hosta,arisaema, cimicifuga, hakonechloa, heuchera, hemerocallis, polygonatum, trillium and tricyrtis I am going to buy it. I have purchased 5 Heucheras just last week.

Whatever floats your boat. :)

Cinta, my post wasn't really directed at you in particular. It was more for new folks that come in here and read what people are posting. They need to have the facts.

Have a wonderful day.

You have a good day too. Watch out for that wildlife they do not care about HVX all the hostas taste good to them.

Cinta, good point. I'll take my chances with the wildlife before I will with hostas from big box stores or Aldi's.

Here is my chance with wildlife. They were probably watching me wheel it to the garden. That is just one night.

Do you use any animal deterrent? Such as Plantskydd, Deer Fortress or Wireless Deer Fencing? If you can interrupt a deers path and make it not a friendly trail they will find a different route, preferably not through your gardens. I have a small herd of deer living down in my west pasture and they really don't bother much at all. If they do happen to snack on something I just beef up the deterrent in that area and they seem to back off.

I have used everything except electric fence. Have tried every deterrent on the market and my own garlic, pepper, egg stuff. Part of the property is fenced with 8' fencing and they have jumped that fence. I am in a suburban area and we all have at least 3 acres of land it is impossible to block all the entrance and exit to my property. Two reasons.... cost prohibited and neighborhood code.

The deer are not the only eaters, it is the rabbits, the groundhog, and any other wildlife you can name.

I am not upset. That was what I was trying to explain. I garden in a happy mode and move on. It is fun I will not garden in fear and upset. I cannot/will not sweat the small stuff.

This virus is the small stuff trust me. I have been around the block a couple of times. I have been gardening for 40 years there is always going to be a virus, bug infestations, disasters etc. You cannot go to the extreme you lose the good.

Oh my gosh, Cinta. That's so .



Is this hosta virus x? I thought at first that it was just speckled from cold-damage, but now the middle of the leaves are paper-thin and translucent.

Ann Kulpa






New leaves start out like this:


These plants came from a very highly respected supplier; high double-digit positives on GW, no negatives.

I'm not an expert on the other viruses, but with all those little dots on the leaves, could that be some type of mosaic virus?

I called the supplier. The company representative who took the call said that he was positive that this damage was caused by our late cold snap. I had brought the plants indoors on the worst nights, but maybe the days were also too cold.

I'll definitely keep these in rehab until they look completely normal. I'm not entirely convinced that they're free of disease. In the past I've had lots of frost/freeze damage on my garden hostas, and this still strikes me as different.

Chelle, go to the hosta library and look at the diseases. I'm not sure about the little spots either, but it does kind of look like you could have nematodes on those leaves.

http://www.hostalibrary.org/di...