Chris is in the newspaper!

nimblewill · Post by **nimblewill** » Jul 16, 2006 10:52 am

Today's Columbus Dispatch has an article on the front page of the Home and Garden section on HVX. Chris is quoted prominently. Thanks, Chris, for your continued work on HVX. Here is a link to the article:http://www.dispatch.com/homegarden/home ... I1-03.html.

I hope that link works OK. The paper limits some content to subscribers. If it doesn't work, I'll figure out a work-around.

Post by **Chris_W** » Jul 16, 2006 11:21 am

Thanks Will!

Not a bad article actually. Too often I get totally misquoted, but this one isn't too bad.

The two things that sort of intrigue me are: 1) Was Home Depot really that successful in getting rid of HVX from their stores in the region quoted? 2) Is HVX really not a home gardener problem? Unfortunately people are accidentally spreading HVX through their gardens more and more, and many don't even realize it or know what it is.

At first I thought HVX had to be fought at the wholesale level. When that failed, I thought HVX had to be fought at the nursery level. Since that too has failed in most cases, often because HVX takes so darn long to show up on a lot of plants and even testing isn't 100% accurate, it then falls to the home gardener to take care in their own garden, clean tools thoroughly, and get rid of those plants that show symptoms over the years. Then it will have to be up to the home gardener to complain to the nursery, and the nursery to complain to the wholesalers before the top of the chain will take any more action.

I've stopped buying hostas (and other plants too) from those suppliers who refused to take action on HVX. It will limit our selection a little, but I certainly don't need a better selection if those new plants are infected...

Thanks for sharing the link with us.

Chris

nimblewill · Post by **nimblewill** » Jul 16, 2006 3:55 pm

I was a little surprised to see an HD person professing to be HVX-free. I don't know what areas are in the "Southeast region" but maybe it's more SOUTH than EAST, so not too many hostas sold. I wonder what I would find at my local HDs. Might be an interesting exercise to find out.

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Jul 16, 2006 6:23 pm

Thanks for that link. I would say that the problem is now definitely a home gardener problem since infected plants have already been sold to us and are in our gardens. Someone unaware of HVX could certainly spread it throughout their hosta garden when dividing and replanting or trading and donating plants for garden club sales.

thy · Post by **thy** » Jul 18, 2006 6:21 pm

Thanks for the link

wasn't it a Home Depot emplye showing up on this forum 2 years ago claming they had no infected hostas... and left with a lot of yes you have in town x and town x ???

I think the battle still have to be fought ? on all levels. At least here we see a lot of infected hostas this year and the new place for propagating is Poland..

Often saying a lot of bad words about Dutch wholesales compagnies I have to say Marco Fransen and Jan fan den Top are doing all what is possible to do. Bying hostas they have grown in Holland is as safe as can be

Pia

scootersbear · Post by **scootersbear** » Jul 18, 2006 6:36 pm

My first thought was kind of with Chris...I just went to a Home Depot in Longmont CO and almost all of their hostas had HVX. I'm sure that most of these hostas had to come from just about the same place because this isn't hosta zone. They have to be shipped in from somewhere!!!
This is definitely a home gardener problem..customer buys hosta...likes it...buys more..joins hosta forum..first hosta has HVX and spreads it to others then trades to the rest of us, or gives a division to others...
I'd be willing to guess that most nurseries that don't specialize in hostas don't even know what HVX is...heck out here they barely know there different varieties other than the green 1. I can't tell you how many nurseries out here only carry 6 total hostas and atleast 1 is showing signs of HVX.

supercat2 · Post by **supercat2** » Jul 21, 2006 9:53 am

I saw the article on Sunday, and thought, gee, I saw LOTS of virused hostas at the Home Depot near my house (N. Columbus.) I stopped at the nearby Lowes, too & saw one of the most obviously virused S & S I've ever seen.

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Jul 21, 2006 1:12 pm

Just wanted to welcome you to Hallson's.

supercat2 · Post by **supercat2** » Jul 21, 2006 4:20 pm

I've been lurking on Hallson's for a while. Finally decided I needed to stop lurking!

Thanks for the welcome!

Richiegirl · Post by **Richiegirl** » Jul 22, 2006 2:09 am

Chris,
You say testing isn't 100% re: a diagnosis. Can you explain further? Thanks.

Richelle

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Jul 22, 2006 6:49 am

I would imagine that Chris' comment about testing not being 100% accurate is pretty much like it is for lab tests that we humans get done. There is always a small percentage of false negative or false positive results. For instance...you can get a negative result even though the hosta might be infected, but the concentration of the virus is just not to a level high enough to detect yet.
Is that correct, Chris?

Post by **Chris_W** » Jul 22, 2006 9:10 am

That's exactly right, the ELISA test won't register a positive result for HVX until the virus reaches a certain level. They recommend growing a new hosta for a season, at least, then testing at the end of the year to try and give the virus enough time to grow so you have more accurate results. So it is very possible to get a negative result when the virus concentration is just too low to register. A negative test result unfortunately can't guarantee virus free.

That's why we are running a second batch of tests on last year's samples and on clumps that we are going to divide for next year's sales. We tested them last year and are repeating them again this year. Hopefully we won't have too many surprises.

I've also heard reports of false positive tests, but if I ever get any shockers like that I'll ask them to run them again and/or double check by electron microscopy. I believe these are very rare.

Hallson Gardens

Chris is in the newspaper!

Chris is in the newspaper!

I haven't been to HOme Depot, but...

Welcome to supercat2

Thanks for the welcome!