HVX, the issue of plant spacing, and other questions

[Noreaster]

I started my garden four years ago and didn't know anything at the time about HVX. I bought my hosta at local nurseries, which IMO, isn't really any better than buying from a big box store since I've seen many obviously infected plants at good nurseries.

So I assume there is a very good chance that many of mine carry the virus even if they haven't shown signs..yet. What's keeping me awake at night is thinking about them out there, getting bigger, and the roots starting to co-mingle. I have the high risk Parhelion about five feet away from my best, most mature 4 year old Regal Splendor, center to center. I don't want anything to happen to RS but I can't bring myself to dig up and pitch a healthy looking 3 year old Parhelion, either. But I worry....those roots really spread out like tentacles, don't they?

How can you avoid root breakage( and possible transfer of sap) between two close together plants, even if you use a pry out method? Have any of you had HVX show up in a plant and then have the hosta's neighbor show signs?

Also, I know a hosta like Parhelion or S & S can take up to seven years to show symptoms of HVX. Does the number of years that the symptoms typically show up vary by cultivar, or is it a total crapshoot?

Oh, one other thing-

I know you can send suspect leaves somewhere for testing to get confirmation of HVX, but can you actually have a non suspect leaf tested to determine if your healthy looking plant is virus free?

[thy]

I understand your fear for real... mine are plantet way to close together..fact some less than a foot

Tiny garden reasons

What i have seen when hostas are dug up is the root ball fit the leaf ball... can you say so
Meaning if your leaves are spreading 2 feets from the center the roots willl too... more or less


Chris please correct me... you have dug up way more hostas than I have....


So if they are around 1½ foot or less away... you can dig up your Parhelion and plant it somewhere else.. or in a pot for a coupples of years

Or ... your RS is 4 years old... I know for sure my frinds RS was 4 years old when it showed bad signs of HVX, so I belive you are out of problems with that one

If you just let them be and Parhelion shows to have HVX, nothing bad will happen with your RS as long as you do not break roots on both.

If it shows the signs... Round Up have some but little effect... but no plant can accept to get its leaves cut of every time it show something green ... not even the worst sorts of weed... do not have any idea about how long it will take or how many times you have to cut it back, but do know hostas do not like to be mis treated..they go to their immature stade and wait for better times...
Cutting off and maybe use some black plastic... have to work in a few years

I agree with you about small nurseries... here I think they do not want to loose the money they spend... so they rather sell a infected hosta to a private gardener

Pia

Pia