Hosta Virus X epidemic

hagranger · Post by **hagranger** » May 31, 2005 10:09 am

Say it ain't so ...
Chris you're the HVX expert.
Sorry the photos are so out of focus ...
This hosta is 'Janet' about five years old.
At first it appeared to be insect damage ... little round circles that were lighter than the surrounding tissues (there is a poor example of the round spots) and then the more isolated pale surrounding a darker vein ...
I suspect HVX ... let me know so I can tell the person to get back to the grower she purchased it from.
Helen

Post by **Chris_W** » May 31, 2005 10:20 am

Hi Helen,

From what I can see I would doubt that this is HVX, so I would just watch it for now. Also, if it is 5 years old it is highly unlikely to just be showing it now. Don't really know what it is though.

Chris

hagranger · Post by **hagranger** » May 31, 2005 10:30 am

Janet changes to near white depending on light levels and each leaf fades to white at varying rates ... I too have this hosta and have not seen it do this on my plant ...
I'll tell her to sit tight and we'll keep and eye on it. Hopefully it's just a fading anomally due to the cooler spring and odd temps ...
Thank you for such a quick reply ...
Helen

DryGulch · Post by **DryGulch** » May 31, 2005 2:40 pm

Could it be some sort of leaf miner?

wholyhosta · Post by **wholyhosta** » May 31, 2005 4:24 pm

Helen

It is hard to tell for sure from the photos, but that was my first thought too, upon seeing it, that it a leaf miner like my columbine get every year- never kill the plants, just make interesting pattern on the leaves. I also say wait and see!

Brenda

FreakyCola · Post by **FreakyCola** » Jun 02, 2005 8:50 am

Chris,
I beg to differ from you. (Always wanted to say that to someone!) Just because her hosta is five years old doesn't mean it couldn't be infected. She could have done it herself by cutting scapes or maybe even breaking off a leaf if she'd just touched an infected hosta.

My Gold Standard was in the garden probably seven years when it started showing strange mottling and color changes. When I sent it to Dr. Lockhart he said it had a virus he could not identify. I have never moved it or cut into it and no other plant shows the same symptoms, so I have no idea how it got sick.

I think we have discussed this before, but please answer again. Can frost damage resemble the bumps we're seeing?
Last year I sent several samples in and all were negative but there was something strange on the leaves.

Post by **Chris_W** » Jun 02, 2005 9:02 am

I totally agree with you Ellen. Just because it doesn't look like HVX doesn't mean it couldn't be a different virus, although it would be hard to tell from these pictures. Viruses are around all the time in weeds and many other garden plants, and many of those viruses are spread by insects. So it is still possible to get a virus in a hosta without dividing or cutting it. That is the only way to spread HVX but not the only way for a plant to get a virus.

Thanks for the clarification

Liselotte · Post by **Liselotte** » Jun 02, 2005 5:38 pm

El Nino was orderd 2004 and looked perfect until the end of the season. Even better this spring, but yesterday found some very strange edges.

Liselotte · Post by **Liselotte** » Jun 02, 2005 5:41 pm

Wrong picture, can't see too much of the strrange dotting

thy · Post by **thy** » Jun 02, 2005 5:44 pm

Where did you get it ?????????

Bluecanoe · Post by **Bluecanoe** » Jun 04, 2005 4:51 am

Holly cow!! Liselotte, I think I saw a leaf like that on my El Nino yesterday, I'll have to check again today. Not the second picture, the first one. We did have some ground frost after it had started to unfurl, so maybe that's the reason, I haven't seen a good photo of El Nino with Virus X. Mine is in it's 3rd year in my garden. So far it's just one leaf..

Please say it isn't so??!!!

Hey_J · Post by **Hey_J** » May 11, 2006 8:01 pm

Chris and all---this has been a very informative thread--thank you!

I have a Montana Aureomarginata that is puckered but not mottled,
and no bleeding at the veins! Is it possible for there to only be the
"puckering" with this virus?

BTW-this hosta is in a whiskey barrel, has had no stomping damage,
no root hormone contact and it looked like this last year, but I thought
it was frost damage. There was no frost danger this year! This is my third
summer having it and I don't recall it looking like this the frist summer!!!

Also, are there other viruses that are affecting hosta that we are not
really hearing about yet, that could explain this phenomena, of puckering only?

Post by **Chris_W** » May 12, 2006 1:30 am

Hi Janice,

Odd puckering without any color variation is unfortunately another symptom of HVX. There is a picture of an infected montana 'Aureomarginata' on another thread, but here are a couple pictures of plants that are infected with HVX and only show the puckering.

Hey_J · Post by **Hey_J** » May 12, 2006 1:17 pm

Grooooannn! Thanks Chris--you have confirmed what I've been fearing all along!

I also have a Carnival that is showing some puckering this year, the 2nd summer
in my garden! I wonder if that is characteristic of that one or another case of
the dreaded HVX?

SIGH!!

Post by **Chris_W** » May 12, 2006 1:58 pm

Janice, if you are able to post pictures then I should be able to tell if it is cold, frost, stomping, or HVX. Same with Carnival. This time of year it is tougher to tell, especially if you've had some frost damage. That's why I like to wait for the 2nd set of leaves.

Wishing the best for your plants!

Chris

Quiet Storm · Post by **Quiet Storm** » May 17, 2006 10:49 am

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum, and, sadly, new to the knowledge of HVX. Hostas are the mainstay of my mostly shaded garden, so I am particularly distressed by this malady. I was mortified to learn that many of the varieties of hosta in my garden are listed as most susceptible to HVX infection -- Sum and Substance, Golden Tiara, Halcyon, Royal Standard, Gold Edger, and Wide Brim. I've checked them all carefully, and so far only one (Wide Brim) looks like it might be infected with HVX. The yellow margin is showing bluish green spots. Fortunately, it's in a bed pretty much by itself, so if it is infected, hopefully it hasn't passed the virus on to other plants. I'll try to take a photo and post it this afternoon.

missjane64 · Post by **missjane64** » Jun 01, 2006 8:33 pm

Hello: I am so glad to have found this forum. I have been searching the internet to find the cause of my hosta problems. These are not new hostas, they are about 8 years old. I have about 25 of these all throughout my beds and pretty much all of them have been affected. The "dots" are small and rust-colored on the stem and then the leaves are just getting brown all over, as you can see. Please tell me there is something I can do to help them! Thanks in advance! (I hope I have successfully attached my pics).

Editing to add that I am in NE Ohio and we did have a couple of frosts this Spring and I was not able to cover them.

Jane

Post by **Chris_W** » Jun 01, 2006 10:17 pm

Hi missjane,

Not to worry, this is not a virus. This is a fungus problem that is often related to cool and wet weather. Have you had a lot of rain this spring, while it was cold, while the hostas were leafed out? Once things dry out and warm up the new leaves that emerge should look a lot better. Only a couple times have I thrown out clumps that showed this repeatedly. Most of the time they grow right out of it. The thinner leaved plants tend to get it the worst.

Hope that helps,

Chris

missjane64 · Post by **missjane64** » Jun 02, 2006 5:56 am

Chris,

Thanks so much for your reply! This is a relief! We have had a lot of rain this spring (about 10 days in a row), and a few frosts. Then, we had a mini heatwave over the holiday weekend. Do you think I should try to cut off the bad leaves? In one case, the hosta just looked SO bad, I already just cut the hole thing down to about 3 inches. That looked better than it did with all the brown and spots and such!

Thanks again, Chris. I've been looking around this forum, and you are so friendly and helpful.

Jane

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Jun 02, 2006 9:32 am

Your hostas look like many of mine, Jane. And I'm in NE Ohio. Too much rain, too much cold weather with the frosts,etc....after the plants had leafed out just did a real job on them. A lot of mine look downright ratty, but I'll wait for the second flush of leaves to watch for any other problems. And I have removed several of my leaves already, but not all.

Hallson Gardens

Hosta Virus X epidemic

Hard to tell with focus

El Nino

El Nino