- Many hostas are
still 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.
No hostas are immune to HVX.
- While this disease does not kill plants, its primary danger lies in its proven
ability to spread prolifically. Because symptoms may take years to show after infection, HVX
has infected hundreds of thousands of plants and is at epidemic levels around the
world. If a batch of hostas contains any individual plants that show HVX
symptoms, the whole batch should be considered infected and should be
destroyed, as individual testing is impractical and not a guarantee.
- 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. If you are a grower or vendor, learn what the signs are and
contact the supplier if you see them in your stock. Only testing with the specific ELISA kit
for HVX can detect HVX. Very large numbers of HVX-infected plants are still currently being
sold at all levels.
- 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.
