You have to trash the soil and then use a fungicide that is rated for S. rolfsii. Here is a link to some research from Auburn University. I don't know if those fungicides are available retail, but they work. http://www.aaes.auburn.edu/comm/pubs/highlightsonline/summer98/blight.html

You are probably better off trashing the whole thing; plant, pot and soil. They buy a new one with a new pot. That's more fun than dealing with fungicides.

Steve

I've only sent one sample to A&M previously, (diagnosis - anthracnose) but they told me which retail product to use and when.

I can't find zerotol available in anything less that 2 gallons and that's $150.00 or so. Maybe I should just trash that plant.

bk

It is a sad thing to put several years into a plant and have to cull it. For the good of the others, that is the solution when you can do nothing else.

I sunburned August Moon, but Midas Touch in the same pot did not burn. Irish Luck whichis dark and shiny also burned a bit but mostly faded, as did Elegans. I was pushing too hard, did not react quick enough with other distractions. Maybe plantaginea should be given tough love treatment as well so it can set seeds...some plants respond to near death experiences by reproducing...they have survival instincts just as human beings do...but, how do they process that info with no brain?

BK, your So Sweets should recover and have whopping root systems next year. I don't know what might be the cause of the foul odor, but rotting vegetation does not smell good.

Steve what does the S. Stand for?

Does anyone else have problems with auto correct changing whole words to something ungodly?

Moc, I had problems on a new Samsung android with auto-correct. It made it impossible to write texts without it seeming I was plastered. On my phone there is a 'cog' icon to the left of the space bar on the keyboard. Hold down on it and it will take you to settings where you can shut off 'predictive text' if it is similar to my phone. I don't know what use this could be to anyone. It is not auto-correct, it tries to guess what you might type and it comes up with all sorts of goobily gook (that's the technical term for it) and is impossible to correct.

Good luck, Jon

I tossed the three more hosta yesterday. I don't know if this is paranoia or more of it. Neither of these are male dog marks. They are on the wrong side of the hosta for that.

This is such a bummer.

bk

bkay, the last picture looks like I have it on 2 plants and had it on one, it seems to be a petiole or leaf rot. Leaves do not unfurl or get this partial rotting leaf. I spray Bayer Advanced Disease Control for Roses, etc. It has 2.9% Tebuconazole. I spray it over the whole plant, soak it, down the petioles and into unfurled leaves. It cured a hosta 'Frank Lloyd Wright' and is clearing up a 'Vim and Vigor' and 'Avocado'. Otherwise I am with Chris, throw any more advanced diseased plants out with their soil.

Bk, the hosta diseases flyer says bacterial soft rot smells like decaying fish.

Mocc, I saw one under attack from southern blight at the Greensboro Arboreteum and notified the park manager. So far I have random yellowing leaves on some hostas but they look different from each other.

Bernd, I've already got some of that tebuconazole. Thanks for the advice. I'm going to try it on some.

Kathy

I have had a similar occurrence on my Spilt Milk. A smaller eye had not one, but two! yellowed leaves on it, rather almost wilty looking. I was going out, so I just yanked them out for the time being and have to get back to it to see what's up with that eye. (auto-whatever just used the word "support" instead of "what's up", aargh!)

Sorry to hear about your hosta woes, Mocc and Bkay. :(.

P.S. Mocc:. I found the thread you were referencing to Don in his thread and provided a link. Did you see it yet?

bk....I have had an issue with my Undulate Albomarginata over the last year that looks related to southern blight. Last summer the leaves started dying off much like yours in the picture you posted and went from nice and full to about 1/2 gone by fall. This year it came back weaker and I am now getting leaf die off again. No leaf curl or anything like that. It's just one or two at a time and a slow process. Yesterday I pulled it all out of the pot. The media was still very damp from our last rain less than a week ago. There are some of the orange balls in the media but not a huge amount. I washed off the roots, they all look healthy, firm and white with no odor, but not as full or long as what they probably should be for a three plus year old plant. It was one of my first hosta and I definitely potted it way too large. I repotted it all in two smaller pots and will see what happens.

The black spots are just something that fell on the leaves.

Southern blight does not simply yellow the leaves, it makes the pets fall over rotted off at the soil level. It is identified by tannish orange balls about the size of Osmocote time release fertilizer. And, the plant is stone dead in 24 hours unless you catch it quick. But now with this plant going through a third occurrence of blight, I might toss it. My life has enough experimental projects to deal with.

Jo, I did not see the link yet but I was right you found it! Thanks, luv.

I seem to have three different problems. One is the nematodes, one is what I think is fusarium root and crown rot and then the stinky problem. The stinky problem does not kill the roots. It's definitely not Southern Blight. There are no orange balls.

This was OBL last year. It was a little smaller than the previous year, but not a big difference. (next to it, Francee seems to have the same problem)

This is how it came up this year. Last year, the pot size was appropriate.

This is what the roots looked like May 1. Soaking the roots in 10% bleach and replacing the potting soil had no effect. Notice there are no little feeder roots and they are brown. When I dumped it out, what used to be roots, (I think) were just brown papery material.

I think I reached my max on photos.

bk

That OBL was such a beauty last year! It's a crying shame and a disappointment.

My daughter just bought an El Capitan which was very full. We decided to split it up....as I was pulling it apart, I came upon the very scene you pictured above in your last photo. I think it's operator error at the source. There were circling roots at bottom, no visible roots above those, just a whole mess of media. Strangest thing I've ever seen.

it's operator error at the source

I'm sorry Jo, but I don't get blurb above. Can you tell me what you mean?

It seems they will put out roots again, but they come out of the top of what I assume was the crown.

Sorry, Bkay... I will clarify....I meant that whatever was wrong with the plant may have originated from where you got it. Sometimes there are bad batches, that's all.... or the plant wasn't overly healthy to begin with...but looked good....so many variables come into play. We all know you buy from very reputable sources - I was not implying otherwise.

However, not all staff/crew care to the same degree as an owner might, or are diligent when it comes to tending to plants. It's possible but I am not saying that is what happened...just speculating. :-)

Bk, the beauty of it all is, is that we can rejuvenate the plant by making it root. If there are dormant buds, they will certainly wake up when allowed to sit in water. Of course next year the plant will likely be small, but it will be alive and ready to grow! :-)

Thanks, Jo. I see what you mean. Most all the plants with problems are at least in their third year. They came from different sources. The OBL came from a local nursery, (Monrovia) in 2013. The Paradigm came from AA Hosta in 2011 or so. The Francee came from GW Wild in 2009 and the Elegans came from a local nursery (Blew Perennials) in 2013. All were nice and large last year with no sign of illness.

So, either I got it in potting soil (I don't think I potted them in the same time frame.) or it's just an environmental thing. I'll know more when I get the diagnosis back from A&M.

I keep checking my email box for the answer. It will probably be next week sometime.

bk