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Hosta Diseases, Hosta Virus X, and Foliar Nematodes

Disease-Free Hostas

Some possible sources of plant diseases include nurseries, neighbors' yards, plants you received as gifts, or your own yard. Our Starter Hostas (TC) and Advanced Starters are guaranteed to be disease-free. They are tested for diseases before being grown in "clean room" laboratories and greenhouses that are disease-free. You can be assured our plants will come to you healthy. As our Mature Division hostas are grown in the ground, we can't quite guarantee them to be disease-free, but we have had no reports of diseases from our customers.

Hosta Diseases

You can find a brief disease overview here. Hostas are a low-maintenance plant and quite disease-free. However, you need to prevent any diseased plant from entering your garden and promptly remove suspicious plants. Some of the hosta diseases or pests are Fusarium, Anthracnose, Viruses, Botrytis Leaf Spot, Foliar Nematodes, Sunscald/ Drought, Crown Rot – Southern Blight, and Virus X. The most common hosta diseases that impact hostas are discussed and illustrated at the links below prepared primarily by universities and extension services.

HOSTA VIRUS X

Hosta Virus X in 'Striptease'. Note green lines in center of leaf.	Heavy HVX symptoms in 'Sum and Substance'. Note how green tissue is looking thin and wrinkled.
HVX-infected 'So Sweet' held to light to better see mottling.	'Gold Edger' with HVX. Note sunken, glaucous green areas.
'June' showing classic "inkbleed" symptoms along the veins.	'Blue Cadet' showing lighter "inkbleed" areas along veins.

This virus can spread and often does not show its symptoms for 3 to 4 years. It most commonly affects 'Gold Standard', 'Striptease' and 'Sum and Substance', but other common varieties are reportedly infected in large numbers. While this hosta disease does not kill plants, its primary danger lies in its proven ability to spread prolifically through the transmission of fresh sap after cutting the plants, or possibly from animals feeding on the leaves. Because symptoms may take years to appear, HVX has infected hundreds of thousands of plants, an epidemic around the world. If any plants in a batch show HVX symptoms, the whole batch should be considered infected and destroyed, as individual testing is impractical and not a guarantee.

If you have plants appearing to show symptoms of HVX, dispose of them immediately. This virus has spread widely in the above varieties as well as others, and the source nurseries are still learning about the problem. Only testing with the specific ELISA kit for HVX can detect HVX. Very large numbers of HVX-infected plants are still currently being sold, so it is important to buy from a reputable source.

This virus is transmitted primarily through contact of the infected plant's sap a healthy plant's sap. 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, or even accidentally running the lawnmower over them can spread Hosta Virus X. The virus 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 to get as many roots as possible, and you should not plant in that spot until any remaining roots have died and rotted away. Always sterilize tools and wash your hands after getting hosta sap on them because just one slightly symptomatic plant means that the whole batch is infected with this hosta disease.

Foliar Nematodes

At HostasDirect, we believe that foliar nematodes should be avoided by purchasing disease-free plants. Once you get foliar nematodes in your garden, they are difficult if not impossible to eradicate. They spread via water but may also spread by rodents, pets, pant legs, or infected garden tools. In the northern part of the USA they appear from late August til the end of growing season, but in the south, they can appear as early as June. There are over 250 varieties of ornamental plants that spread nematodes, so it is becoming a huge problem. An educational video shows and explains foliar nematodes as well as nematode treatment. A two part video.