Hallson Gardens

My virused Striptease! Of course it made it thru the winter, the healthy one didn't . Couldn't really see the HVX last year, but this year, YEACH!

Tami

Sorry to hear you lost your good ST, Tammy.. So far so good for mine and it's not showing any signs, yet anyway..


If we keep throwing all these infected plants away I'm afraid were going to start seeing infected hostas growing in the landfills. If you have access to a fire pit, I'd say burning the plant would be the best bet. I don't have access to a fire pit, so I've soaked the infected plants in pure bleach for a few days, and then placed in a confined place in the hot sun for a few days, before I throw any infected plant in the trash. Don't know if it helps, but I figure the bleach will kill the plant and it won't have a chance of surviving at the landfills. I've seen it happen one to many times, where someone throws a hosta over the hill into a gulley, and the plants grows like normal sitting on top of the ground.

I'm not a 100% sure, only 99%, but our trash goes to an incenerator, not a landfill. I know Indy uses it and takes in other surrounding cities trash also. So, that should burn it up nicely.

Tami

yea I thought about that after I typed all that, and there was no way I was going back and retyping it . Took me a 1 hour to write that .. Glad to hear that yours gets burnt there.

Unfortunally our's here gets taken to a landfill and get put on/in the ground. It's also possible that one of the landfill employees will see it and may think it looks cool, and take home also

Tami, what makes you so sure the plant has a virus? My eyes have turned 60, along with the rest of me, but I don't see definitive proof in that photo. Send off a piece for testing.

The plant has damage, yes, but frost damage and holes through the leaves from dropped tree twigs, etc. does not signify a virus. Maybe it's on the side of the leaves which I can't see?

George

George, I couldn't see it, either. How about a close-up?

Tami
Some of the leaves have obvious inking pattern into the center that looks like HVX but since your other Striptease didn't make it, you might be sorry later if you don't have it tested and know for sure your hosta is sick before you can it! The voice of experience here! I test!
Brenda

Not the clearest picture, but unfortunately the signs of HVX, once you know what to look for, are very prominent in the picture. No doubt in my mind that it is infected.

I tried to enhance the picture a little and added arrows to the ink bleed patterns in the center. Frost damage will not cause dark green patterns through the gold center. In a newly infected Striptease you will see dark spots, then some zig-zag, green bleeding along the veins. In time the green bleed will reach across from one vein to the next.

Nearly all of the Striptease coming from Holland are infected now and many newer plantings in the US are too, so until they clean up their act I would be wary of buying this one for a while.

Mine looks very robust and is growing like crazy this year. There are no signs of HVX, but because so many have the virus, which might not show up for a while, I am watching it warily ... and hoping with fingers crossed, that it's OK. It has lots of white outlining this year that it didn't have before, which I attribute to maturity. This is its leap year.

Richelle

I hope the U.S. t.c labs are still OK with this plant.

George

The plants of Striptease we are selling now came out of TC from Q & Z and tested negative last year (2nd year TC) and look very nice with excellent coloration this year (3rd year TC). I would have no reason to suspect a problem but of course will continue to watch them closely.

I was at a nursery today and they had a whole shelf of Striptease, all of which were leafed out. I noticed that they didn't look right, there was bleeding and some blueish patches in the centers. Also some crinkling of the leaves.
I've often bought hostas from them, very healthy ones in fact. So both the owner and her mother know me well as a repeat customer. In fact the standard comment I get when they spot me is "Lynda, we have new hostas, but doubt if we have any you don't already have, so don't bother looking..ha ha!"

Anyhow, I went over to check just in case, and spotted these 2 gallon pots of Striptease. I was worried as soon as I saw them. I have a 4 year old Striptease at home that does not look anything like theirs. I don't think it's an age thing, mine has always looked the same, even as a one eyed baby. I mentioned the Virus to them, and suggested that they issolate the plants until they're sure. Because I'm no expert and it might have been bad spring burn, (but I doubt it..) They agreed and pulled them all off the shelves and issolated them and told me they are going to get in touch with their grower in Ontario, who's always been very good with the plants they've recieved. I hope I am wrong, there were about 12 plants in 2 gallon pots which means a lot of money to these women. However, I'm also worried that I might have jumped the gun.. But this is my Striptease I took a photo of yesterday. She's always come up looking like this, and believe me, the others had quite a different look! Do you keep your mouth shut if you're not 100% possitive? Or do you relay your suspicions?

Hi,

I think you did the right thing. Let them contact the grower they bought them from. If they are a good grower they will get them tested for them or take it from there to learn more.

From your description that is exactly what you would see on a virused striptease.

Yes, this hosta came from a batch that tested positive for HVX, I just hate to kill any plant, even a sick one. In person it looks terrible, no doubt about the virus. Sorry about the quality of the picture, until Friday, all I have is a 2 mega pix. camcorder stills. DD gets a nice new digi for her B.D. on Friday and Mom will then borrow as needed

Tami

Just an update, I went back today (Wednesday) and all the plants were still in issolation. I had printed out info for the owner last night along with anything else I could get my hands on about the virus, she was very gracious and thanked me. After reading the info and looking at the photo she agreed that all 10 of her plants were indeed infected. Not badly infected, but definately showing signs pointed out in Chris's enhancement. She was also extemely relieved that the entire stock she'd recieved was still there, she'd ordered 10 plants and that's what she had issolated. I saw no signs of infection on the rest of her stock, she did have a tray of El Nino, but they looked good. I don't know if they came from the same nursery, the rest were plants like G.E., Twilight, Jewel Of the Nile, Northern Exposure to name a few, none that I've seen in Virus-X lists to my knowledge. However, I know at least one nursery woman who's very appreciative of all the info she can get, it's a family run business that's been around for years, the last thing they need is their reputation damaged.

You are doing a bang up job Chris!! I'm very glad I know you!