Southern Blight attacked The Razor’s Edge last week. I pulled all the detached leaves and drenched it with fungicide. Every leaf came off. What’s left is blooming now. I think the scapes are shorter than normal.

The question is does the fungicide or the virus cause the change in the leaf shape and scape height that people have noticed. I have a science experiment going on in one of my biggest most densely planted beds that has experienced several incidents of SB this spring. This bed was the 2014 hospital bed and also the bed where any temporarily homeless plants live so it has a lot of companion plants, too. The bed is sloped and the first Hosta to succumb was Punky.

Those stupid little round balls that are the fruiting bodies of SB roll downhill in the rain. They are tiny and it’s easy to miss one. After Punky, the SB attacked a stand of columbine and Maui Buttercups. I caught that early enough that I saved several of the leaves on MB. Then I noticed a dead streak through a stand of iris cristata from SB.

After cleaning that up I drenched the entire bed with a preventative solution of the fungicide I use, Prostar. So every Hosta and plant has been treated with fungicide. Next spring we’ll see if everything is deformed or only the ones that were attacked by SB.

Thanks for sharing your experience, ZKathy. My affected hosta is potted up in its fabric grow pot, so I wouldn't think the fungus would spread to other plants from this one. I am not using any garden tools on it and then other plants, either. I will drench the plant again with the Bayers Advanced Care solution. Today might be a good day, as it's been raining a lot here. I will look for those orange little balls, too. Good luck with your SB infestation.

I’m having a hard time with the fact that your hostas are in grow bags and still got SB. Are there cats in your neighborhood? Animals that have walked through a Southern Blight happening could pick up some of those balls and contaminate your bagged Hosta. Be careful with your hands also, so as not to spread the fruiting bodies (basically seeds). Those little balls can be the size of the period at the end of this sentence up to about the size of a small BB. The color can range from white to yellow, orange or brown.

Yes, there are stray cats around, although not many. I really hardly ever see any around my garden. We do have lots of squirrels. I am going to drench the plant with Bayer's Advanced Care solution tomorrow again. I looked today and saw no orange balls.

Aww, it sounds totally devastating, to grow that big healthy plants just to be wiped out in a matter of hours. There is no particular treatment for it either?

MadPlanter, I had exactly that experience last year with my beautiful Rainbow's End. I treat its SB with Bayer and dug out the top 2" of soil. It came back, but with weird rounded leaves. Finally, it gave up the ghost. Interestingly, this year a baby hosta came up in its place. I potted it up, but it died :( . So I am familiar with Bayer seeming to save a hosta with SB, only to have it come back smaller and with weird rounded leaves.

As soon as I see leaves drop, I pull the leaves and remove the fruiting bodies either by hand or with a *shop vac* (MAGIC). Drench with Bioadvance disease control (similar to Bayer) and I have seen the blight stopped in its tracks. Any plants that are kind of close in the downhill path or even surrounding I have drenched as a precaution.

I'm winning against SB for the first time this year!

I just drenched my ailing Remember Me with another 2 gallons of Bayer solution. I hope that finishes off the SB. Meanwhile, it's so weird to see a full compliment of its light lavender flowers on 1" high stalks, buried among the leaves.