HVX questions/ ID

[tinkettlecreek]

So, I'm second guessing everything now. I bought 8 hostas today, but as I look closer at a few of them and comparing to what I'm learning about HVX, I'm starting to wonder if I should have left them behind. Bear with me folks, I promise I won't do this very often!

This is "Revolution" and I thought it was pretty, being so spotty. There is one leaf that has a green (possible inkbleed?) spot on it, and another leave with a raised edge, much like the bumps on my Leola Fraim, but one long bump.




"So Sweet" - Early mottling?



This one came with the house, I have no idea what it's name is. A couple of leaves have shown the white streak, but about half of them have the odd corrugated line or lighter (cell breakdown) spot on them.




This one is Queen of the Seas, and I'm less suspicious of her. She looks terrible in the photo, but I believe it is just the blue wax has worn off her revealing all the bright green. That's what happens when I touch her anyway. I know she looks like death here, but I am convinced she was just mauled at the garden center. Could be wrong though!



Any help/opinions are apprecaited! I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon googling more HVX photos...

- Janice

[ViolaAnn]

Is it my system or are the images not available for viewing?

[Carol O]

I see them, but don't know.

[ViolaAnn]

I see them now. Must have been my system earlier.

[Chris_W]

What kind of place was selling these? I'd be suspicious of any Revolution being sold at places that aren't hosta specialists because they rarely show very clear symptoms when they are infected. The So Sweet doesn't really show anything, but again, there are enough of those out there that are infected that I'd be wary.

Wish I could say for certain that what you are seeing is HVX, but I think you are being smart to be cautious.

And did these plants come with any tags? Sometimes I can tell the plant origins just from the picture tags.

[tinkettlecreek]

Purchased from a garden center that has been in business for "over 80 years" according to their website. They are the largest here in town, and what I thought was the safest place to shop. I have the tags, I'll check them out tomorrow and post. I'm not sure if I should try to take everything back or not.

[tinkettlecreek]

Tags of what I bought yesterday:

Striptease and Queen of the Seas are from Mori Star Perennials
Praying Hands is from Medallion Plants
Popcorn is from Simply The Best



June, So Sweet, Revolution and Gypsy Rose came from places who don't admit who the are on the tags...






Are there certain companies/tags to avoid altogether? Is there a thread already for that? I can already see me sticking to mail order next year...

[sweetee]

The problem really isn't what they "show" when they are new hosta. You won't know if they are safe for a few years.
I've bought some which showed no signs for 2 years. A good rule of thumb is to keep them in a container in a quarantine section before planting them in the ground. Disinfect tools between uses.
We have a reputable nursery in our area, yet each time I go there their hosta show hvx symptoms.
If you do decide to plant them in the ground, you may not know if they are infected for a couple of years, then it is a headache to get rid of them.
If you really want to plant them, you can get test kits from agdia. They are expensive, but pretty accurate.
I did not have this information when I started my hosta garden and not too many people were talking about hvx years ago. I wish someone would have told me.
Hope that helps.

[ViolaAnn]

The real key is making it a habit to disinfect your tools between plants no matter what. I found HVX this year in a plant I'd had since 2006. It was probably infected the whole time, but the symptoms were subtle and I didn't pick up on them until this year.