Just walk away from them. You'll be wondering forever if they're infected... HVX can be dormant for years and then appear, and by then you may have infected all the others. That won't be a bargain!

In the beginning I bought a few at Lowe's... every spring I look at them sideways, wondering "are you guys really still alright?"

Get your hostas from a reputable hosta source - a reputable local nursery, or from one of the mail-order hosta nurseries... it's really not much more expensive, and you'll have more choices of cultivars.

You're in SC... this one is in NC: Green Hill

There are a lot of others... if you search this forum you'll find mention of a lot of hosta places, and you can also check the garden watchdog for reputations: Garden Watchdog

Edit: just saw a post bump up that talk all about sources: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/favorite-places-to-purchase-hosta-dsvw-vd~5157858

It was at 4 of my Walmart’s

==>>> lol.. busy day for you.. if you hit them all in one day ...

if you are not a collector .. which you really arent as of now ... and you are putting them out away from other hosta ... say.. in between shrubs ... what the heck ...

read up on hvx.. and if it ever develops .... remove them properly ...

http://www.hostalibrary.org/firstlook/HVX.htm

i see a big gap between a garden with a few hosta spread around the garden ... and the mavens known to this forum ...

your description of a large mouse ears.. means nothing to me ...

ken

If you like the look of it, go back and take some pics of it so we can take a look and the pros can guess as to what hosta it actually might be. Then you can go look for it from one of the more reliable sources. $3 per plant is tempting, but definitely not worth the high risk.

I've seen signs of HVX at all of the big box stores in my area. I'm assuming the virus is spreading more and more, at these disreputable growers. I'm scared to even walk by the hosta aisles there, gives me the willies.

Don't start your hosta garden with the risk of infected plants. If you really want to buy those follow Ken's advise. But be aware that you also have to think of the tools you are using, that's not really a bargain and no fun at all...

At my local big box stores, they stock hosta from local sources. So, what you have at the Home Depot in Dallas is from a different source than the ones at a Home Depot in Atlanta. Those sources are usually general nurseries, not hosta specialists. So, you could luck out and get some healthy hosta or not, as they buy small starter plants from tissue culture factories in the states and overseaas. I have one left that I purchased at Lowe's many years ago that is not diseased unless it has root rot. (I lost most of my hosta to this weird disease over the last few years.) I've also bought HVX infected hosta at local high end "reputable" nurseries. I don't think you can be sure of a healthy hosta unless you purchase it from a mail order hosta specialist.

Those are generally not inexpensive if you are buying a lot of hosta.

There's a old saying, "You pay your dime, you take your chances". You get to choose how much risk you are willing to take. Hosta collectors/connoisseurs do not want to get the HVX virus in their gardens as it is contagious to other hosta and contaminates the soil. Once contaminated, you have to wait for years to plant hosta in that spot again, if ever. So, "hosta nuts" are not willing to take that chance. You get to decide what is most important to you. Would it be devastating if you can't plant hosta again in that spot? Only you can answer that. Do what works for you and your situation.

bkay

I purchased Patriot from Home Depot 6 years ago when I didn't know any better. So far no regrets.

Looks like Regal Splendor, bsmith, very nice hosta, my favorite for "popping" in a spot that needs something.

Well I found the tag and in small font it said it is “Sagae”. I had already planted them so I’ll google and read up on them later.

i put them in between the camellias and love it. I have four shi -shi’s and they will spread but these fill in nicely too. It’s not t easiest picture talk with the sun setting but you can see I think. I’ll be cleaning this area next. Enough for one day with the hydrangeas earlier.

I only started last year spending money on different kinds of Hostas. Before that I got plants from neighbors and from properties that got torn down. 2 of the gifted Hostas are now about 4 years old and they are special to me. Now that I am aware of that virus iam really sacred if I got it in my garden with the big box plants :-(

Just be aware and use precautionary methods when you trim/dig/divide them - clean tools with a 10% bleach solution or some alcohol (between plants). That way, if there is any infection, you’ll avoid spreading it.

I think Chris at Hallson's uses Lysol spray.

bkay

As far as I know, alcohol doesn't kill viruses (bleach does).

That’s what I always thought too.... then the speaker at the hosta club last week said alcohol was fine. But I believe what you guys are saying- and bleach is what I use. If Lysol works, at least that won’t ruin your clothes.

I've never even bought Lysol, and don't know what it's based on, but seem to recall some commercials that talk about it killing viruses. If so, it should work for HVX. Not sure in what form since aerosols outdoors may be blown away by wind. Wipes maybe?

The Lysol spray Chris uses is the industrial strength hospital grade stuff, not the common home spray. Whole different thing.

Thanks for the info, dhaven. Not sure where we might be able to purchase that from, but might be worth looking into. Although 10-20% bleach has been simple enough for me, even with having to make it fresh every day it's used. The hostas in my small collection have only come from about three sources, and although they all say that their plants are healthy, am thinking about starting to test them for my peace of mind...and if they all do test clean, then maybe I can stop bleaching in-between plants altogether. Just wish those home test kits were a bit cheaper (seems they've gone up in price over the years).

It's not enough for a seller to say their plants are healthy, you want to buy only from those who routinely test their plants. I know of one large hosta seller who responded to my question about their protocol for HVX with "we keep an eye out for that, haven't ever seen any", This is totally useless, given that the virus doesn't always show up immediately, sometimes not for years, and the symptoms can be very subtle.

Easiest way to get the purchase info for the hospital grade Lysol is to contact Chris at Hallsons--he's a great resource and always willing to respond to questions. Wish there were more like him.

Test kits are indeed expensive, you might see if you can split an order with others. Fairly easy to do if you have a local hosta club, or perhaps others on this forum would be interested.

I got the stuff Chris recommends from Amazon:

https://smile.amazon.com/Professional-Lysol-Quaternary-Disinfectant-Concentrate/dp/B0061V9VB6/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1522696030&sr=8-1&keywords=lysol+quaternary

It was only $25 a gallon for the concentrate when I bought it. Said to repel the deer too.