Hosta HVX testing sertificate

[thy]

Does such thing exist ???

One of the wholesalers have been selling HVX infected hostas for the last years. They have sold them to nurseries and spread out the virus..
Now one of the nurseries conected to them advertise with We do Test for HVX...

One.. I hardly belive them, but if- how many and how often ?
Two.. It is darn easy for a so so compagny to say they text for HVX

So what are the guidelines, what can I ask and could a certification be an idea, if it do not exist allready

[Chris_W]

This seems to be happening with some of the dutch wholesalers. I've seen hostas advertised as "certified HVX free" from a couple dutch wholesalers.

But one of them told me they have absolutely no more HVX in their hostas - so I bought some plants from them that came up with HVX. When I asked their response was "Well, we just bought that one in. We didn't grow it. The ones we GROW don't have HVX." Big difference

I don't know of anything like this in the US and doubt that you will see any official certification. The best we are starting to see at the wholesale level is plants that are advertised as being virus indexed.

One large grower here in Michigan is really pushing all of their plants as being virus indexed, but last year I still received hostas (Halcyon) that repeatedly tested positive for HVX. They responded that they weren't surprised, those are imported from Holland and they have already discontinued them for 2007. I was really mad about it, but never got a credit! This year I bought in Francee from them that normally come in as field grown divisions right from here in Michigan , but this year they are single crowns that look suspiciously like Dutch grown plants. So they are being isolated until I can get them tested, and will report the results on the HVX forum.

I wish the USDA could do more to regulate plant viruses, but there just isn't funding. Sort of leaves it up to us to spread the word

[thy]

So it is even worth than my informations

Could this be a project for the AHS.. Setting up some rules and ask for confirmation and then alove them to use a special marking for as much as a test can show.. those hostas are free for HVX.

If they want a donation for working fast.. it is okay with me
Our USDA hardly look at plants at all

Pia

[thy]

Chris what do you mean with

virus indexed

?
The new playground is Poland and a Danish comagny have used it for years.. it is C H E A P .. one bigger nursery getting their hostas from them, claim they are tested


Sad thing is the Danish Hosta Society advertise for that nursery and co work with them.
The same compagny I have been fighting for years No reason to say.. I am not a member, you teached me to good Thanks

There are good nurseries /wholesellers in Holland, try Marco Fransen or Jan van den Top, they have done a great job

I just wrote the AHS, hope they act -fast.

Pia

[wzbt03]

Seems like all the big discount stores have the most suspect plants. I saw some really bad ones in Virginia while on vacation.

Sure would be nice if this issue was addressed.

[Vibeke]

VERY IMPORTANT !
The Danish Hosta Society is a totally independent society. We absolutely don't collabotate with any commercial buissness in Denmark or other countries.
We appreciate all our advertisers because they make it possible for us to publish a member-magazine 4 times a year but we are not responsible for the articles they sell.
The Danish Hosta Society has existedfor about 1 year now and we now have 150 members. In the first number of our magazine we had an article about the hostavirus (HVX), where we very much pointed that HVX is a serious problem.

Ib Nielsen & Vibeke Kjeldsen
Dansk Hosta Selskab

[Rob]

In a local nursery, where I didn't see any visible HVX infections until recently, the new shipment for spring 2007 looks just terrible. My guess is about 80 % infected.
I'm going back there this weekend to take some pictures and inform the owner.

I suspect some Dutch wholesalers of dumping all their HVX infested stock, which they can't ship to the US, on the European market instead of destroying it. At the auction-marts in Holland, HVX plants still are traded without problems.

As for buying hostas, I now stick to sources I know I can trust. To me that's the growers that specialise in hostas only (or mainly). Their customers are hosta collectors that know HVX. Selling HVX would put them out of business very quickly.

Sometimes I get the feeling the specialized hosta growers are the only ones this side of the ocean that really try to fight the HVX monster.
For the rest of them: well, like Randy Newman said, it's money that matters.

I'll try to help them a little vit by contacting the Flemish authorities and try to inform them about the problem, since I think they're totally unaware.


Love from the Hosta Mill,

Rob

[Chris_W]

Thanks for the input Vibeke and Rob. It is important to keep educating and if necessary fight with the nurseries about it

Of course the Danish Hosta Society would not have any responsibility for the products their advertisers sell, but would it be possible to send a copy of the HVX article to the nursery if someone complained?