Lilypad
Well-Known Member
Oh great, another virus going around this time, hitting Hostas! Hostas have a great reputation for being pest and disease free...now this!
Note:Hosta Virus X seems to be reaching epidemic proportions.
Many hostas are turning up that are infected with a virus called Hosta Virus X (HVX). The most commonly seen ones are plants of 'Gold Standard', 'Striptease', and 'Sum and Substance', but other common varieties are being reported infected in large numbers. While this disease does not kill plants, its primary danger lies in its proven ability to spread prolifically.
The most common visual symptom is blue or green markings on a light colored leaf. These markings usually follow the leaf veins and bleed out into surrounding tissue giving the plant a mottled appearance. The tissue often appears lumpy, puckered, and of different thickness or texture that normally colored tissue. Less common symptoms include dried, brown spots and twisted, deformed leaves. It may be difficult to detect off colored mottling on dark, solid colored leaves. Some green tissue will show lighter colored mottling along the veins, but it is not as pronounced as the markings on gold tissue. To make matters worse, some hosta cultivars don’t seem to show any visible symptoms of being infected with HVX and it may take a year for symptoms to show after a plant has been infected.
This virus is transmitted primarily through cutting the plants. Contact of the infected plant's sap with sap of a healthy plant will infect the new plant. This can happen whenever cuts are made and the instruments or hands are not disinfected afterwards. Dividing hostas, removing bloom scapes, removing leaves, stepping on them, even accidentally running the lawnmower over them can and will spread this virus. It survives only in living plant tissue and dies without a host. Plants in pots may be simply disposed of or burned. Plants in the ground should be dug carefully as to get as many roots as possible, and the spot should not be replanted until any remaining roots have died and rotted away.
Researchers say the virus can not be spread by insects, but when we are talking about moving sap from one plant to another, I don't see how you can rule out insects completely. Or other animals like rabbits and deer, for that matter.
If you are a gardener, do not buy plants from batches that show even the slightest markings on even one plant. If you have these plants from batches that show symptoms at your home, dispose of them immediately.
Note:Hosta Virus X seems to be reaching epidemic proportions.
Many hostas are turning up that are infected with a virus called Hosta Virus X (HVX). The most commonly seen ones are plants of 'Gold Standard', 'Striptease', and 'Sum and Substance', but other common varieties are being reported infected in large numbers. While this disease does not kill plants, its primary danger lies in its proven ability to spread prolifically.
The most common visual symptom is blue or green markings on a light colored leaf. These markings usually follow the leaf veins and bleed out into surrounding tissue giving the plant a mottled appearance. The tissue often appears lumpy, puckered, and of different thickness or texture that normally colored tissue. Less common symptoms include dried, brown spots and twisted, deformed leaves. It may be difficult to detect off colored mottling on dark, solid colored leaves. Some green tissue will show lighter colored mottling along the veins, but it is not as pronounced as the markings on gold tissue. To make matters worse, some hosta cultivars don’t seem to show any visible symptoms of being infected with HVX and it may take a year for symptoms to show after a plant has been infected.
This virus is transmitted primarily through cutting the plants. Contact of the infected plant's sap with sap of a healthy plant will infect the new plant. This can happen whenever cuts are made and the instruments or hands are not disinfected afterwards. Dividing hostas, removing bloom scapes, removing leaves, stepping on them, even accidentally running the lawnmower over them can and will spread this virus. It survives only in living plant tissue and dies without a host. Plants in pots may be simply disposed of or burned. Plants in the ground should be dug carefully as to get as many roots as possible, and the spot should not be replanted until any remaining roots have died and rotted away.
Researchers say the virus can not be spread by insects, but when we are talking about moving sap from one plant to another, I don't see how you can rule out insects completely. Or other animals like rabbits and deer, for that matter.
If you are a gardener, do not buy plants from batches that show even the slightest markings on even one plant. If you have these plants from batches that show symptoms at your home, dispose of them immediately.
